Remember Me, Remember Us
by hippiechick2112
Summary: Logan wakes up at the school, recalling nothing except the dystopian world that he helped to change with Xavier after going back in time. With the help of Danielle Mitchell, he begins to navigate the new future and begins to see the past that he could not remember after almost drowning. Story four of the series "Unspoken".
1. Strange Happenings

**Remember Me, Remember Us**

 **Note and Disclaimer: I obviously don't own anything, like characters and plots, from _X-Men_ , but the extra characters not in the series are obviously mine. This is now the fourth story of the series, "Unspoken", which will take place after _Days of Future Past_ in trying to have Logan remember everything from the past in the new timeline. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _I will remember you.  
Will you remember me?  
Don't let your life pass you by,  
Weep not for the memories._

 _I'm so tired, but I can't sleep.  
Standin' on the edge of  
Something much too deep.  
It's funny how we feel so much,  
But we cannot say a word.  
Though we are screaming inside  
Oh, we can't be heard…_

 **May 18, 2023**

It had been a strange morning, Danielle Mitchell had to admit, but that was nothing unusual in Xavier's school, since drama happened everyday anyway. However, this particular day had started out pretty peculiar and was getting worse as time went on. First, she woke up early, to find that Logan (usually sleeping next to her), the ever sarcastic history teacher, was not getting up anytime soon and would not wake up to her usual ministrations (which he swatted away at). The next thing she knew, when classes had started, she saw him in his nightclothes, wondering around the mansion as if he didn't know where he was, appearing every bit amazed that people were around him and he was where he was.

To top it all off, Logan had closeted himself with Xavier for some hours afterward, having Jean cover his classes for the day as well as hers, causing Jean to combine some classes to keep everything in time and students not missing any lessons. She thought it strange too, whispering to Danielle in the hallway after the last class that Logan was acting pretty lost (even for him) and seemed… _different_ (Jean's words). Ororo said something to Danielle as the latter completed her Music Theory classes after three, stating something along the lines of Logan seemed some mental help before walking away with a group of children. Scott was the worst of all, making a snide comment that made Danielle think that Logan was looking at Jean again.

 _Of course, that's ridiculous. Jean was just a brief fling, with eyes and comments alone. Logan loves me._

At least, Danielle certainly hoped to hell Logan still did love her. They were married, had five children (even if one was adapted and two were not biologically his) and had been in love with each for almost thirty years. It counted for something and should still, Danielle had to concede, as she walked from her classroom, her ears ringing with music and her mind seeming to be empty. It was odd, she realized, trying to figure out what was wrong, since yesterday Logan had seemed so normal and promised her dinner for their wedding anniversary next week. When she thought about, she noticed that her usual connection to Logan was broken, as if he was never there.

That hurt. Even at nearly forty-four, Danielle sometimes felt the older insecurities of the past. Granted, it was a tough road that got them all where they are now, with the mutant struggles and their own personal wars (some of them ongoing), but today had brought them nothing more than anxious students and equally so-called torturous teachers. It was a good life, Danielle knew, and one that she could not trade. None of it she would.

Danielle was so distracted in her thoughts that she accidentally ran into her older brother, Jay Mitchell. Married to the same woman of many years (the school's admission officer and only resident human, Fiona) and with a son that taught at the school too, Jay was fifty-four, youthful and in a prankster mood. Seeing his younger sister in her state must have made the jokes run a few times around in his mind, Danielle knew, but it was all harmless and in good fun. Besides, they shared their powers and sometimes their minds. It was too easy to predict what Jay was up to and she could counter anything he had up his sleeve anyway.

"What's up, little sister?" Jay asked Danielle, feeling generous today and lording his sibling status over her, even after so many years of infantile fighting. "What's got your goat?"

"None of your business." Danielle tried walking around Jay, but he stopped her.

"It's about Logan, isn't it?" The name rolled off of Jay's tongue as if it was still taboo to talk of him. The two rarely got along and were plain nasty to each other for Danielle's sake and generally stayed out of each other's way. "Everyone's been talking about it."

"You don't need to know."

"I can see that it is then. He's been strange today, hasn't he?"

"How would _you_ know? Has his name suddenly become the fad of the week?"

Jay grinned. "I don't need to read your mind, Danielle. People talk. Besides, he's been with the Professor for hours, still in his pajamas. Well, if you call jeans, socks and a black t-shirt from twenty years ago that, but hey, I don't shop his wardrobe thankfully."

"Oh, leave it alone, will you?" Danielle finally got around Jay and stormed away, head down and tears in her eyes.

"You know I'm right!" Jay yelled behind Danielle as she wiped her eyes clean. "You'll see!"

 _Oh, to hell that you are right, Jay. I sure hope you're wrong._

There was only one person she dared to see now. Danielle walked on, dropping the remaining books, papers and instruments off in her bedroom before heading to Xavier's office. He might still be talking to Logan, but now wasn't exactly the time to be locking himself in there with Logan in some conference when so many things needed to be done. Danielle needed answers and she needed them now. She wasn't going to be walking around the school as if she didn't know anything anymore. She would be the first on hand and the one who would find the solution.

Her bravery not yet spent, Danielle then headed to Xavier's office, seeing the door open and Xavier working on some paperwork, perhaps the cafeteria menu for next week or a new student coming in. Regardless, Danielle knocked on the door and smiled, watching as Xavier looked up and grinned back at her.

"Close the door, Danielle," Xavier ordered, one that even Danielle obeyed. Once Xavier was sure that they would not be listened to, he added, "There are some things we need to talk about."

"I was thinking the same thing," Danielle replied crisply, taking a seat before Xavier's desk. "I woke up this morning to find that my world turned upside down and nothing going to be is the same again."

"Logan." Xavier wasn't pulling any punches.

"Yes. I have not seen him today, but I've heard enough from everyone else to tell me that there is something wrong with Logan…and you have the answers to it."

"This won't be easy to say, Danielle. There are many things you need to know."

"I assumed so, but I've been through worse. Try me."

Xavier took a deep breath, his mind trying to find the words to say and finding none except for the truth. "It's a story from a long time ago, Danielle, and one that I nor Erik have told anyone. It all started in 1973, when it was just me and Hank living in this school. I was going through a very hard time and soon found myself face-to-face with Logan, battling with Hank after some altercation. Logan pushed himself in and demanded to see me, telling me things that nobody else knew, not even Hank, and persuaded me to go on a mission."

"What?" Danielle was shocked. "What are you saying? That he was a stalker?"

"No, no, nothing like that." Xavier knew that he wasn't getting anywhere with the story and needed to tell the rest of it before Danielle blew up. "What he told me was that he came from the future, from another time where mutants were hunted down and killed and there were few of us left. He needed to stop someone from starting that event, which rocketed us to where his future was."

"He…was a _time traveler_? But Professor, I don't understand."

"And you won't perhaps. Regardless, whatever happened, we stopped it and Logan was brought back to the mansion after his disappearance in Washington, DC, hardly remembering what had happened before and deciding to pick up the torch. He went on to live his life as he did, going rogue a few times, tempted by Apocalypse and many more other adventures, as you know. The two of you have had a life together that nobody expected and we've had overcome many other obstacles along the way as a team. It should not matter to you who he is today, but that he is the same Logan he was before."

"But I don't know that, Professor. I haven't seen him since this morning and that was because he was sleeping and he run off afterward. I haven't seen him since. I don't even know where he is."

Xavier smiled. "I think you will."

"But that seems too easy," Danielle said, shaking her head when she realized the answer. "Ok, so he's in our bedroom upstairs. Why though?"

"You don't have a connection to him anymore?"

"No… _no_. It's like a clean slate from him, like he's there, but not inside of me and he shook me off. He's a new person, Professor, and I don't know how to make it out."

"Maybe you should find out? Use your abilities, Danielle. Find out what happened and bring him back to you. You might need to start the relationship over again, but you shouldn't see it as an ending. It is a new beginning and one that would perhaps be better too."

"I certainly hope so." Danielle got up. "Thank you, Professor. I really appreciate what you've told me."

Xavier nodded as Danielle turned to leave. She then went back upstairs, thinking along the way and ignoring students who asked for her attention, waving them away. This new Logan…his consciousness just returned from who knows when and the one she had known this whole time was gone, gone, gone. She would have to start all over again. Who the hell knew if Logan knew her in some other place and another time? Did this new Logan still know her or would she have to show him everything all over again, baring her soul open and showing all of her scars? It wasn't something she looked forward to, but it gave Danielle an idea. She had to begin somewhere and it had to be with them.

Finally, Danielle faced the bedroom doorway. Finding it oddly locked, she took out a key from her back pocket. As she unlocked the door, she listened to Daken and Celeste as they passed her from behind, their passive comments telling her that they were running off with their friends. She did not mind (she knew them to be more responsible and they would return for dinner anyway), seeing this as an opportunity to see Logan alone and without the awkward questions from the teenagers (and later, Devon, Michael and Riley, her older children). And he was in there, all right. He was pacing back and forth and she could hear it, if she used her assassin's hearing. Sighing, she opened the door and closed it quickly behind her.

Logan stopped his pacing, facing her with a confused face. Danielle walked to him, holding out her arms to hug him and feeling surprised that Logan returned the sentiment. There was…what? Relief? Happiness? Bewilderment? Danielle could not tell, the feelings from Logan were so jumbled up and hidden from her so well. However, she found it easy to put her head into his shoulders and feel safe there, even after so many years. But the distance was there…mentally anyway. Logan did not know what to make of her and did not know what else to do anyway.

"Did you have a good day?" Danielle asked Logan, unsure of what else to say.

"I guess so." Logan wasn't specific, even though Danielle's question was kind of vague. "It was…overwhelming."

"You didn't go to your classes today." That was a statement and not a question.

"No, I didn't."

Logan did not bother to hide that fact and was uncomfortable with it, as if he was ashamed of something. Danielle lifted her head up and looked up to him, smiling as she did.

"I know everything," Danielle admitted, playing a card she didn't really have. "The Professor told me."

Logan stiffened and pushed Danielle away. "What?" He was still, his face and mind so stoic that Danielle could not tell what he was thinking.

"You don't need to hide from me," Danielle replied. "I want to help you. I love you. And I hope you still love me too."

Logan still did not say anything. Danielle moved forward, trying to connect her back to Logan, and found that he accepted it, but he was wary of her and his memories of another time were very overwhelming. He knew her as someone else possibly. She might be a different creature than she previously was for him, but she could not tell that yet. However, Danielle wasn't giving up without a fight. Logan was married to her, for some years now actually. They had children and a life here and at the farmhouse. They had family around them. She couldn't push away the one person that stayed with her for so long and not help him when he was lost.

Smiling, Danielle took Logan's hand and picked up a random bag from the floor before the bed. "Why don't you come with me? I'm going to the library. I still got some research to do for my book and need to pick up a new more ones too."

Logan seemed to have accepted the offer, finding his boots easily enough and readying himself to leave. He did not seem to mind and was anxious to be with Danielle, feeling obvious relief that they were still ( _still_?) a couple. He did not know this new world, she saw, and wanted to see what Salem Center was about versus where he originally came from. It might detract from this morning's incident and make things more normal again. People would seem them together and think that all was well.

 _But now, it's not._ Danielle knew that now and hoped like Xavier. Logan would learn and they would help him.

* * *

 **Hey, everyone, I'm back! Yes, this is the new story and I'll be doing the best I can to update. Oh, and credit for the lyrics? Sarah McLachlan's "I Will Remember You".**


	2. A Little Has Changed

It was a short walk to town, to be honest, and one that Danielle always liked when she had the opportunity to escape the mansion for some time. It was one of the reasons why she loved the children being so independent and older. It took maybe half an hour to get into town and find the library, even though you're passing the usual small town life and people in it and stopping to say hello to every Tom, Dick and Harry on the way. Danielle had felt so lucky that the wars between humans and mutants had ended so many years ago and always saw its results each time she went into town, but it was nothing compared to her relief in leaving Celeste and Daken alone.

Logan followed Danielle quietly, staying to her left and seeing that he was eying the town with curiosity. She had to admit, they put a new spin on it ever since the chaos ended. The small town Salem Center used to be turned into a community whose economy rose when people starting showing who they were, what they wanted out of the community and being accepting of others. In turn, Salem Center became one of the leading towns in economic structure (and most certainly harmony) because of the simple want of helping others, no matter who they were, thrive.

Danielle and Logan soon entered the library after the usual go-around with some townies, Logan holding the door open and feeling amazed that books survived this long. From there, Danielle snuck upstairs to the third floor, where the history books were neatly stored. Logan followed her silently, keeping his hands in his pockets and ensuring the area was still safe. It seemed like an old habit, Danielle noticed as she browsed through some titles in ancient history, and one he normally did not use unless something was wrong. Yes, Logan had seemed to have come a long way…but he went down a different pathway in this lifetime though.

Just as Danielle was checking out a book on Ancient Egyptians, Logan stood next to her. "What exactly are you writing about?"

Danielle almost balked and retorted in an annoyed tone, but remembered that this Logan did not know what she was up to. "We've been through a mutant and human war that ended almost twenty years ago. I've going back further than that to determine if there was discrimination or awe between the two and move on from there."

"Seems like a multiple volume project," Logan observed, crossing his arms.

"It is," Danielle conceded, "but we all know from firsthand experience what happened…well, in the last fifty years or so anyway. I want to see the initial reactions. There isn't much on the topic out there though. I wanted to go to the Middle East and Southwest Asia, where it all began, but I am not finding the right time. Things have been…well, insane lately."

"How so?"

"Well, there's you for a start. Even before today, you've been a basket case concerning your students and how obnoxious Scott and Jay have been. Those two picked up on something and going for the long mile with it."

"Some things never change."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Cat's out of the bag, babe. Scott and I never got along in the first place anyway."

That made Danielle stop and think. "And Jay?"

The face Logan made wasn't one that Danielle was expecting. "Let's…talk about that at another time. Ok?"

"Ok…" Danielle was skeptical. She soon was back to skimming through her book again, seeing that it wasn't what she was looking for, and sighing. She put the book back and shelf and moved on, trying to concentrate.

Logan had other plans though. "Tell me about yourself."

Danielle stopped and glanced at Logan in what he knew to be one of extreme annoyance (and boy, was he glad that it didn't change). "I will shred your little mind to pieces if you ask me that in public again. I'll even let Jay finish you up."

"You don't mean that," Logan taunted sarcastically.

"No, I don't." Danielle sighed again, feeling defeated and deflated. "I'm just scared, is all. I'm scared of a lot of things."

"Like what?"

"What our future is going to be like. I don't know what you've done before, but this is going to be tough. We can get through it though."

"You can memory jump."

Danielle glared at Logan, this time in amazement. "Yes…yes, I can. How do you know?"

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, this and that."

"Were we…were we a couple, back where you came from?"

It was an awkward question, but Logan found it a fair one. "Yes, we were. We've lost each other a few times and got back together through some other means. We stuck together through to the end when we saw that it was what we both needed and wanted. It wasn't just for convenience, Danielle. It was because we simply loved each other so much and would do anything for each other."

It was at that moment that Logan noticed Danielle's silver wedding band. He already knew that he had one on too and figured that he was married somehow, a fact that disturbed him a little. In the other lifetime, he and Danielle never got married because they never believed in it and Danielle had just gotten out of a horrible experience with her late husband, Senator Leon Ellis. They were mates for life, parents to mutants that had to find their own way in the world and friends to the dying and dead. Something here must have changed, something pretty drastic.

Danielle nodded. "I won't pry. Tomorrow though, I promise we'll get through some of the initial memories we've shared. It's Saturday. There are no classes."

"How far back are we talking?" Logan asked, feeling as if something was off.

As Danielle picked up another book, she answered, hardly looking at Logan. "Oh, as far back as I can remember. You've known me since I was a little girl."

That took Logan back. "W-What?" He was stunned.

"I don't know if you paid attention to me when I was small because I know you found children infuriating then," Danielle continued, ignoring Logan's reaction as she skimmed through the book in her hands. "I do know that you started looking out for me when I grew older, when you knew things were tough and I couldn't handle a lot of things. I thought you were some adult who treated me like a daughter and I guess it seemed like it at first. But I loved you then, even though I had loved many others before I realized that it was you I wanted. You didn't see what was happening until it was almost too late. It took you ten years to get me back, but we managed to get through many things in the aftermath."

"What do you mean, it took me ten years to get you back?"

Danielle finally looked up from her book, closing it and deciding that it was what she needed. "You initially helped me and Jay indirectly in trying to trap Senator Leon Ellis in his corruption and trying to overthrow the US government. He wanted the power for himself and used all he could to achieve it, even putting my father and Phineas Teller up to the task. He wanted to eliminate the mutants and incite the world into an international holocaust of mutants. And he almost succeed, he was that close. He kept me and Jay apart for ten years, both of us prisoners, and used his powers of persuasion to show his hand. He was…charismatic, I would say. He attracted many followers, almost like in Nazi Germany, and would have went forward had not two brave people assassinated him and his senior retinue during a rally."

"And Trask? Your marriage to Leon Ellis?"

"Trask has been falling apart for years and went bankrupt some time ago, Logan. And my marriage to Leon Ellis? You said it wasn't one and that I was forced to the altar. Michael and Riley changed their last names to Mitchell some years before. We adapted Devon in-between all of the madness and he was taken away from us before escaping from the camp Leon stuck him in. Daken and Celeste were born after we got back together sixteen years ago."

Logan felt a little relieved that some history had not changed. Some details had been altered though. Before he came to this alternative universe, he had met Danielle when she was twenty-three and she was pregnant with Riley, finding himself in the middle of a struggle that had just begun for him. Now, it seemed that his internal wish from so long ago had come true. He had spent his life with Danielle, almost from the beginning to now. He had helped to shape her, save her and even marry her. In the end though, they were together and that was all that mattered to Logan, but what worried him the most was how changed Danielle was from the woman he knew to this one.

 _That_ was going to be the challenge…but Logan was up to it. Danielle's beauty was still there, inside and out, and the attraction remained. That was the best part so far, in his opinion.

Logan didn't ask any more questions. "Seems like you are a little pleased," Danielle observed, going back to searching for more books. "Things a little familiar?"

"A little," Logan admitted. "Something does bother me though."

"What?"

"Who…who killed Leon Ellis?"

Now it was Danielle's turn to hide something, although she masked her face through the shelves of books and picked up a few she knew to be helpful. "We'll talk about that later. I'm thinking little steps when it boils down to it. Right now, I want to get this done before the library closes. I just want some material."

"Have you been writing books for long?" Logan knew the old Danielle wrote and hid everything from him, but never published, like this one seems to be.

"I have a few manuscripts some publishers are interested in, I'll admit. They don't offer enough or make a fair offer because I'm a mutant. Although the discrimination laws are changing constantly, there will always be the bigoted people who take advantage of the system. I exposed that a few years ago in a newspaper article I sent it to the local news, which had gathered support since it's been seen as the truth. Thankfully, nobody has figured out it was me. I would be receiving death threats by now."

"But they don't be able to kill you."

"How do you know that?"

"Again, this and that. You can choose to live or die."

"I can. Right now, I chose to live immortal and die when you do. It's almost impossible to kill you, although I am curious how beheading would help the situation anything. I mean, Stryker has failed many times to get through to you."

The name sparked rage in Logan still, but it was nothing that Danielle had expected. Soon enough, his adamantium claws were out and his face became a shadow, his voice a low growl. Danielle was a little surprised, using whatever energy she had to calm Logan down and perish the thought for now. It worked a little bit, with the claws being retracted and the growling stopped, but the face was still the same. Danielle assumed that the Stryker of where Logan came from was a different beast than what they had to deal with. Honestly, she liked Stryker better as head of his religious cult, but he had pulled the Jim Jones method after seeing some government official killed off in his church and went on a rampage. _That_ had disgusted her the most.

Danielle went over to Logan and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Let's go. I'm sure the Professor has dinner ready and is wondering where the hell we are, although he can check in anytime he wants to."

Logan relaxed a little more, following Danielle downstairs without another word. She checked her books out and bagged them, leading the way out. They then walked in silence back to the mansion, meeting up with Jean and Scott in the driveway as they took their evening stroll (something that indicated that the two had missed dinner). Danielle had yet to see their two children, Cable and Rachel (who insists to be called Phoenix), and was about to ask when the two youths ran past the four of them in a blur. The two, still in their twenties, had come back from college and had been teasing each other since, competing as they raced down the driveway. Danielle looked to Jean and smiled.

"Well, children will be children, right?" Danielle asked.

"When are yours coming back?" Scott asked politely, most likely on the insistence of Jean. "Michael and Riley are coming home from school, aren't they?"

"Yes," Danielle confirmed, taking Logan's hand for some comfort. "And Devon would be visiting sometime in June."

"Still on military assignments, huh?" Scott started becoming sarcastic, but Jean nudged him in the side with his elbow.

"Government assignments." Danielle was becoming uncomfortable talking about Devon, since his work was so secret and their time together so precious, as they saw little of him. "He'll appreciate that you're thinking of him always."

"We best get going," Jean interjected, before things became too awkward. She held onto Scott and motioned him forward. "I'm afraid Cable and Rachel are getting too ahead of us."

The shouts from the two had been enough to allow the pair to pass. Logan and Danielle watched Scott and Jean walked on, Scott calling out to their children to slow down. It made Logan snicker, but it also confused him. He remembered that Jean and Scott never had children and that both had died, Scott by Jean's hands and Jean by his own hands. They were buried on the school grounds before Trask took the school over and destroyed everything that had to do with mutants. It somehow made him glad not to be the only parent (although it was something in common with Scott) and not the one to chase after two adult children.

Danielle smiled and urged Logan forward. They walked together in some silence to the mansion and went inside, going to their shared bedroom instead of the kitchen for leftovers. Danielle unlocked the door and closed it behind them, thinking of another idea. She heard Daken and Celeste in their respective bedroom next to theirs, both of them complaining about something to their friends, but she could not tell what it was. She shook her head free of them and looked at Logan instead.

"Tomorrow morning we start?" she asked him, eager to begin showing Logan the past as she knew it.

"Yeah," Logan conceded. "Sound good."

Danielle regarded Logan carefully before hugging him closely. The animosity towards Stryker was still inside his head and slowly receding away, along with the day's cares. At the moment, she did not care about missing dinner or about how Logan was changed. She soon kissed Logan on the lips and used her hands to pull his clothes off quickly. Logan returned the sentiment, soon finding the light and enveloping allowing the darkness to envelop them.

* * *

 **Cable and Phoenix are the children of Scott and Jean, although the former was a time traveler and the latter was shown to Jean in an alternate universe in the comics. As for Stryker...he did become the head of a religious cult after his military career, killing his wife and son, Jason, after he found out that his son was a mutant.**


	3. Dangerous Ventures

Saturday morning dawned sunny and pretty. Although classes did not start up again until Monday, Danielle still heard the familiar sounds of children waking up and rejoicing on their day off from their studies. She sighed as she got up from their bed, stretching her legs and putting some clothes on before someone knocked on the door. She was sure that, any minute now, Celeste and Daken would come out of their bedrooms, argue about something and run to her or Logan. Celeste would appeal to Logan and Daken would fight back with logic of how own to both to them. The same had happened between Devon and Michael and then Michael and Devon…and then all three of them between Daken and Celeste and all the way around. It was the never-ending cycle of sibling arguments, something Danielle knew very well.

Logan was not in the bed. Danielle soon heard the water running in the bathroom and assumed that he was washing away yesterday's disaster. She couldn't blame him. If your consciousness was sent back in time to change something and came back to a universe you didn't know, you would want some time alone to contemplate the situation and plan the next move. The shower seemed to be the only place Logan had left to be himself.

Just on cue, Danielle heard the knock on the door. It wasn't in an annoyed tone like Celeste's was or loud like Daken's, but it was urgent. She immediately called out that whoever was behind the door to come in. However, she was surprised to see Ororo and Jean there. Ororo closed the door behind her and looked around, if as looking for someone or making sure that someone was missing. Danielle assumed that it was Logan they were searching for.

"Logan's showering," Danielle offered. "I don't know when he'll be out."

"It'll be quick, I promise you," Jean replied quickly. "He's the subject of this discussion."

"I would assume this has to do with yesterday." Danielle did not even read any of their minds to see what was going on.

"Yes," Ororo confirmed. "Danielle, everyone has been talking about it. The Professor hasn't said anything to anyone, but we want to get it from you."

"We just want to make sure Logan is ok," Jean added. "He was a little off yesterday and we were worried."

"After hearing that he has some mental issues and seemed very 'off', I don't know if I want to talk about this right now." Danielle pressed her lips into a thin line. "He's been stressed out and yesterday just seemed to be a breaking point. Scott saying that we shouldn't be adding those advanced placement classes got on his nerves."

"Danielle, Logan looked at all of us if as he was surprised to see us," Ororo pointed out. "It was like he had just arrived here."

"Nightmare?" Danielle shrugged her shoulders. "I couldn't wake him up for some reason. He moved around a lot in his sleep last night."

"We think it's more than that," Jean started, suggesting that they knew the secret and wanted Danielle to say it to them. "I've been talking with the Professor and he admitted some things after some prodding on my part. He won't tell anyone what happened, not even Hank I believe, but he's told you and me and Storm. That's enough."

Danielle crossed her arms across her chest. "And what _did_ he tell the two of you?"

"That Logan is going to need some help," Jean offered, undeterred by Danielle's sharp tones. "His consciousness came from a future and a life he knew to be different from this one. He went back to the past, to 1973 in order to change many things so that the future he, as well as may others, faced would be different. Well, I see that we have a better future than what we've thought it would be some years ago."

"Tell me about it," Danielle replied, her voice still tart.

"Logan isn't going to remember anything from this lifetime," Ororo stressed. "He lived this life and woke up yesterday knowing something else. We need to make sure this is kept a secret and that he starts to learn what happened in the history he did not know."

"Not only will this will look strange to the others, but the history classes will suffer," Jean added. "If history isn't what he knows, how can he teach?"

"I understand all of that," Danielle admitted, not willing to say much more and allow the other two to talk, if possible. "I'm sure the Professor filled him in on some of the history. He can use the computers and some books to get caught up too. However, I am working at it from another angle."

Jean immediately saw what was planned. "You can't be serious, Danielle."

"How else will Logan learn?" Danielle asked defensively. "We can allow him to learn the history we knew. That's fine. What about my relationship with him though? I don't mean to be selfish here, but don't you think that would be a better start, to see the struggle before he faces the cold facts in black and white himself?"

"You don't have the power for that," Jean pointed out. "You and Jay share powers and can add and subtract to what the other has. If he feels you doing this, don't you think he'll be suspicious and drain you, especially with all those power surges we both have had?"

"Or even ask what's going on." Ororo saw that they're weren't getting through to Danielle, she was that stubborn. "You can't sit in this room all weekend and expect Logan to understand everything."

"No, I can't," Danielle conceded, "but I sure as hell am going to try. I can't leave him in the dark for long. He already knows some things and he told me some of the places he's been to and some of the things he knows, which are true here. It was a harsher place, this future he came from. However, I'm willing to kill myself and my powers so that he can no longer feel lost here. I can't allow it."

Ororo shook her head. "You're making this too easy for him."

"And too dangerous for you and Jay," Jean warned once more.

"I'm willing to take the risk." The decision was final for Danielle. "All I ask is that you keep it a secret from as many people as you can. As far as I know, us three, the Professor and Logan only know this secret. That's more than enough people."

"I agree." Jean sighed. "I sure hope you know what you're getting into, Danielle."

"And you can say 'I told you so' later on," Danielle replied as she heard the water stop in the bathroom. "I don't have plans this weekend anyway. I won't be going home until next weekend anyway. Michael and Riley will be home from school."

It was a swift change of topic and a sneaky one too, but Jean and Ororo ignored it. "Are you still planning a dinner for Michael's boyfriend?" Ororo asked.

"Yes," Danielle confirmed, glad that Logan's name and nature was no longer on their tongues. "I expect the teasing from the others. I'm getting used to it though. I love him though, no matter who and what he is."

"I'm sure," Jean reassured Danielle. "I have the same problems, except I need to accept that both Cable and Rachel are childish. Scott is beside himself."

"That's because he can't handle them being just like him," Ororo said, laughing.

"They are _not_ like Scott," Jean defended. "Scott is more mature than that."

"And ever the leader, picking up fights with those he clashes with," Ororo pointed out, still laughing. "Remember how he had Logan try on the yellow spandex uniform and he hated it? It was a joke."

"That was funny," Danielle agreed, knowing that Ororo was trying to get Logan back into the discussion. Before she could add another word though, Logan entered the bedroom, toweling off his wet hair. Immediately, the room quieted.

"How are you, Logan?" Jean asked, trying to quell the clumsy way the conversation went. "Storm and I were just talking to Danielle. We're also leaving. Do you need anything?"

"No," Logan answered, eying Danielle with some curiosity. "Danielle and I have everything we need right now."

"Then, we should be leaving," Ororo indicated, motioning to Jean that they should go. "We'll see you at lunchtime, right?"

"Right," Danielle confirmed, smiling as she did. "We'll see you later."

Jean and Ororo soon said goodbye and were out the door before long. As soon as the door clicked closed though, Logan turned to Danielle. He heard the whole conversation and applauded Danielle for trying to keep everything secret, but somehow knew that one of them would ask Xavier what was going on. There was no hiding this from Jean and Ororo though. Logan knew that much too, remembering how they would have pulled the truth when they needed to.

Danielle soon turned to face Logan. "Logan, I –" she began.

"No," Logan interjected, putting his arm around Danielle in a sort of half hug, soon pulling her to him. "You did what you could. I want to know everything. You can pull out whatever historical records you want later. I want to see us and what happened to us."

"Jean is right, you know," Danielle said, scared of what would happen when she did overload on her powers. "I use too much of it, Jay will notice and either drop me like a hot potato or give me more energy. However, our powers can be unpredictable sometimes. We're two mutants with shared powers, but the Phantom Spectrum can flare up anytime something extreme happens. I'm willing to cram everything I can into a short period of time, which falls under the extreme category. You need to though. Nobody else needs to know your secret. You can just learn of the past and live with it. It'll be like a story from a third person point of view. You can memorize the story and move forward to make new chapters."

"And appear in every way normal?"

"Well, back to normal anyway. The Professor must have told you that you teach history?"

"Yeah, he did."

"Do you know the current crises?"

"He said something about adding in advanced placement classes. Scott is against it, feeling most of the students too immature, but I am supposedly pushing for it."

"Yes, you are. And you will continue to because it's right."

"I think so too. Kids needs something more challenging."

Danielle smiled. "You know most of the players in the faculty?"

"From what I can tell, Storm teaches English and Jean has some science and math classes. Your nephew, Jax, teaches the other half of the science and math classes. Scott has mechanics and personal finance. The Professor still teaches the optional 'Mutant and Human Morals' classes and sometimes will substitute for the others, but focuses more on the school. Alex, who is Scott's older brother, does PE and the health classes. Rogue has child development and Bobby has geography. Kitty and Colossus team up for the computer and technology classes. Your brother Jay does the writing classes, focusing on research and then creative. Mae is the school nurse. Roger and your cousin Matthew are doing martial arts for those who are juniors and seniors at Mutant High. You're doing chorus for some of the year and 'Music Theory' all year round."

"That's about it in a nutshell, Logan. You see Hank yet?"

"Oh, the resident school lawyer? Yeah, I did. The fuzzball seems about the same."

"Get off of it, Logan. Hank is pretty good when protecting the school's residents."

"And he's married, I saw."

"Yes, to Mystique."

Logan looked at Danielle funny. "Wait…Mystique is _married_ to the fuzzball?"

"Yes, she is. She doesn't come here often because she's usually on some missions for the Professor, but their children come in and out of here frequently. They have three children, all of them in their late twenties and early thirties, and their younger daughter is married and pregnant with their first grandchild. Oh, come on, Logan, don't look so shocked. We all thought it was bound to happen and it did."

"Any other shocking news I should be aware of?"

"Well, Storm married Matthew two years ago. They both chose not to have children, although it would have suited Storm well, I think. She thought the kids here were enough for her to handle. Magneto…well, we haven't seen him in some time, but he'll show up soon enough. And my father is somewhere on this planet and we don't know where."

"And where did I come into this mix?"

Danielle squared her shoulders for the start. "I don't know exactly how it came to be that you found the Professor, but your life afterward had been one adventure after another. You had been tempted by the most powerful mutant out there and you helped to all destroy him. You went on to the next thing, the anti-mutant movement, the one I joined much later. Well, I don't want to spoil any more details than I need to. Are you ready?"

Logan let go of Danielle. "Ready…for what?"

"I want to get some memories shown before we go down for lunch," Danielle replied, leading Logan to their bed and sitting down with him and holding his hands. "I need you to relax because it isn't going to work unless you are. Try not to think of anything because I might jump right into those memories and won't be able to concentrate on what we need to see. It'll keep me on what you're thinking about. Ok?"

"Ok." Logan took a deep breath. "I don't think I can totally relax though."

"Do you need me to help you?" Danielle steadied her hands midair, as if she wanted to and needed permission first.

"No, no." Logan sighed. "I think I'm ready."

Danielle put her hands first on Logan's forehead and then moved them gently to his ears, rubbing it along the way. She too took a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing on what they both had been through and what they shared with each other. She then picked a point in time where the two started interacting and chose that as the first step on the pathway, thinking back to when she was a small six year old and wishing for many things, love included…


	4. That Enchanting Little Girl

**September 3, 1985**

Little Danielle, the much younger sister of Jay Mitchell, was sitting alone in the seat by the window, knees to her chin and arms wrapped around her legs. She was a lonely and sad little girl, Logan thought to himself as he walked inside from a walk around the property. Making sure that his cigar was put out before Xavier noticed it in his hands (and having a report for the property security in mind for later), Logan inched closer to Danielle. Her red hair shone in the late summer sunshine and her pretty hazel eyes seemed red-rimmed from tears she shed some time ago.

It normally wasn't really Logan's business to butt in any students' misery (or even any other kind of business either), but this seemed a little different. The little girl, who had been sent to the school last year, was always solitary and quiet. She only had her brother cousin and even then, the much older teenaged brother (interested in going into the Army) did not want to be burdened with the chore of keeping his sister company. In fact, neither did the cousin, who was interested in girls and flirting than anything else. So, she walked from classroom to classroom, being taught things that went in her head and going to her room to study them fervently. Danielle shared a room with two older girls, since there was no other children her age kicking around, and would not talk to them either except for greetings. Jean Grey and Ororo Munroe, who were about the same age of her brother, said nothing of their roommate. Logan thought it a good thing, since rumors were a common thing in this school.

If Logan thought about it, he didn't know much of the family either. He met Shannon Adams Mitchell, the kids' mother, a few times, since she used to teach at the school. Depressed and soon declared too disabled to work, Xavier had to let Shannon go and always allowed her back to the school to see people and visit her children. Their father…Logan heard some about Henry Jones "Chameleon," Mitchell the charming and dangerous father of the kids. He saw him from afar at a few parent teacher conferences that Xavier managed to wring out of parents who still contacted their mutant children and immediately took a dislike to him. Shannon had been the primary caretaker of the children most of the time, but as time went on, Jay had been the one who (sort of) watched out for his sister.

And from there, Logan's knowledge ran fewer. He recalled Jay as an only child and then his excitement when his little sister, named Danielle Regina Mitchell, was born in the last days of the school year of 1979. However, that feeling soon ran dry. By September 1979, Logan was hearing how bedridden Shannon was, Chameleon's constant disappearances into Phineas Teller's bar and Jay spending hours watching Danielle. Shannon's mother had soon taken over the heavy farmhouse affairs and Jay went on with life as usual until three years later, when it was said that Chameleon was thrown out of the house by Shannon and Danielle was recovering in the hospital. No details had been forthwith, although Logan suspected that the Vietnam veteran was abusive and it went too far.

However, the year before, when Jay called Xavier to the farmhouse before the start of the new school year, things had started to change. The trip had been an amazing opportunity for Xavier and Magneto as well, prompting the former to invite this little red-headed girl to the school to not only start her education, but also to help control her powers. There had been no details about what her mutant abilities were and it always was whispered that she was a bigger freak than most of the rest of the school, sharing her powers with her brother. They had their own mutant abilities (which were the same) and could combine powers with each other and create a force unlike anyone had ever seen. Xavier was still studying it constantly, Logan had heard, and would be for years to come.

But that girl by the window…how was she? Was she lonely? Sad? Wistful? Thoughtful? It seemed all of the above to Logan. Something was bothering her and, oddly enough, he was curious and drawn forward. He wanted to know her, to see if there was anything he could do to help, and plan accordingly.

Carefully, Logan crept forward and sat next to Danielle. The little girl did not notice him at first, but soon blue and silver mist was emitted from her hands, flowing gently over to Logan. On instinct and in fright, he pushed it all away, startling Danielle from her reverie. She gasped, starting to get up as the mist disappeared back into her hands. Logan stopped her though, putting a hand out in friendship just as she started to become totally invisible. This made Danielle mesmerized and reappear fully, curious too about the much older man who hung around the school, never taught any classes and did the school's security. She took the offered hand and climbed back into the window seat. She faced Logan as bravely as she could, still holding onto the hand that helped her up.

"What's up, kid?" Logan asked. "You seem lost."

"I – I don't know," Danielle stammered, putting her head down, as if in shame. "I really don't know."

"Is your grandmother ok?"

"She's living with Momma. I guess she's ok."

"And your mom?"

It was there that Danielle was quiet, making her hand so limp that Logan had to let it go. She didn't know what to say, keeping her hand to her side. Logan figured she was not used to talking to strangers. Hell, he was one to everyone on the grounds except maybe Xavier and Hank. He didn't know Alex Summers too well, even though he started out at the PE teacher some years ago after the school reopened, and the other teachers knew better than to cross him, especially since he was in charge of the school's security. This little enchanting girl…she was like a princess in the tower, waiting for someone to come by and rescue her. She perhaps needed some saving. She needed someone else to trust other than her jackass brother after all.

"Let's say she's ok for now," Logan said after some minutes of silence "Sound like a plan?"

Danielle didn't say anything. She nodded in agreement, giving Logan a little smile.

"All right," Logan continued, unsure of how else to converse with Danielle. "Well…how's your new classes?"

"The Professor has me on multiplication now," Danielle explained, her face lighting up a little, as if Logan touched on a subject she liked. "I'm reading Tolkien and studying more about Europe and current affairs with the Soviet Union. Mr. Summers is putting me in a class full of fifth graders and I'm keeping up with them. Mr. Mortimer is trying to get me into martial arts, but the Professor isn't too happy about it and I am sneaking some lessons in and am learning patience right now. I'm also working on playing the piano and guitar in the music room."

"Wait…what music room?" Logan was confused. He didn't know Xavier had one kicking around.

"The one down the hallway on the first floor, on the right," Danielle replied excitedly. "It's all empty and all, but the Professor said I could go there anytime if I wanted to. The instruments need to be tuned, he said, and I could do it if it makes me happy."

"He said that?"

"Yes, he did. And I _am_ happy!"

Logan could most certainly see it. He also noted a few other things just by this unusually short conversation. Danielle has no real friends. Because of this, she jumped right into her schoolwork. Music was also something important to her, something that soothed her. She was an introvert, Logan concluded, and needed to be coaxed out of her shell. She was naïve, that much was true, but then again…what six year old wasn't? There was a world she was trying to explore on her own and she had no hand to guide her.

It gave Logan a few ideas. He didn't want to get too far into this, since he was allowing personal feelings to get in the way of things, but he wanted to be a part of this girl's life. Danielle seemed to be a scared kid who only wanted to spread out her wings and fly. She didn't seem to have too many people in her corner except maybe Xavier, Hank and maybe Alex Summers and Roger Mortimer. Her brother was too selfish in his own needs to look out for his kid sister and her cousin was too busy with other girls. Maybe it was time someone else checked up on her every so often.

"How about this, kid?" Logan took Danielle's hand again. "I'll talk with the Professor and see if he can bring in an expert teacher in there, to do all that tuning for you. If there's more kids who are just as eager as you are, then I'll stick my neck out again and ask for a teacher to teach music. Sound like a plan?"

"You'll do that…for me?" Danielle was amazed, but that soon turned to embarrassment. She snatched her hand back too, her face turning as red as her hair. "No. _No._ I don't deserve this. You don't have to."

"No, I want to, kid. That's what you don't get." Logan tried the best he could to convince Danielle that he was genuine, giving her his best winning smile, but he knew that wasn't going to work out well. "This isn't a joke. I want to make sure you're happy here and that you're not alone. Contrary to popular belief, I do care about some people and that group involves you. Let me talk to the Professor first though. Let me get his opinion and I'll talk to you later. Ok?"

"Ok." Danielle thought about it for a minute. "What's your name?"

Logan got up from his seat, cracking his neck left and right. "Logan."

"Just Logan?"

"Almost as far back as I can remember, yes. One day, I'll tell you about that sad day."

"And you know me?"

"Yeah, sort of. It's Danielle, right?"

Logan wanted to make sure that Danielle knew that he was paying attention to her all this time. Her semi-excited squeal somehow meant everything to him. Smiling, he saluted her in a silly way and made his way to Xavier's study. Logan knew that he would be there with Hank, most likely going over some issues of the day, like Magneto and his Brotherhood, menus and perhaps new students. It varied between the three usually, but their tenses faces were always the same. It was no different when he knocked on the open door and entered. He did not want to know what the two were discussing this time. He only wanted to give his report and ask Xavier what he promised Danielle he would.

Usually, Hank departed, but this time he stayed on. "Anything unusual, Logan?" he asked, rolling up some charts and putting them on the shelves behind Xavier's desk. "All seems quiet on the Western Front."

Logan was tempted to pull out the unfinished cigar and smoke because he wanted to piss Hank off, but knew better. "Other than a scout from the Brotherhood, I saw nothin'. He ran off as soon as he saw me, most likely to run back to his master."

"Your bitterness concerning Magneto is noted, Logan," Xavier replied dryly, looking up from his paperwork. "They aren't going to cause us trouble anymore though. I assure you of that. Erik promised to leave the school intact and send those he feels are a fit. He will not recruit children to his cause."

Logan mumbled something about Magneto always being the asshole, but Xavier put a hand up, not interested in the profanity. "You have something else to say?" he asked Logan. "You're usually out the door after giving me your daily accounts."

"I wanted to ask about Danielle Mitchell," Logan began. That even perked Hank's ears.

"What about her?" Hank's tone was sharp and distrustful.

"Hank, Logan's interest is genuine," Xavier said, glancing at Logan with questions of his own. "Calm down. Let's hear what he has to say."

"Danielle has an interest in music," Logan continued, watching as Hank's expressions turn from anger to concern about the girl. "She said there was an old music room she has free rein on. I was wondering if someone more professional than she is could tune those instruments for her…clean it up a little and maybe teach her. I'm hoping other students would follow her."

"It sounds reasonable," Hank replied, her tone saying that he didn't believe in Logan's interest in Danielle and her progression.

"I agree," Xavier added. "I make no promises, since not everyone would want to work in a mutant school, but I will promise that I'll look around and will not stop until I have an answer, either way. You will tell her that?"

"I will," Logan conceded. "I want to make sure she's comfortable here. She seems a little distracted."

Hank and Xavier exchanged a glance before the latter looked at Logan sternly. "She is," he admitted.

"She won't talk about her mother," Logan continued, trying to get more information. "I would assume that something happened to her."

It was a little suspicious to Logan when Hank went to close the office door. He rejoined Xavier at his desk, trying to determine whether or not Logan was actually on Danielle's side or not. After hearing the few words said from the previous talk, he decided (after having a conversation with Xavier privately in their minds too) that Logan was engrossed in Danielle. Hank then looked at Logan severely, his face telling Logan that he better keep his mouth shut this time.

"Did you hear any news of the children's mother?" Hank asked Logan, unsure of what the older mutant had heard.

"Nothing," Logan replied truthfully. "Seems that Danielle is upset about what happened to her though."

"Something _did_ happen, Logan," Xavier said, before Hank said another word. "Shannon Mitchell tried committing suicide last night and was found by her own mother, hanging from a ceiling fan. Although recovering in the hospital and heavily sedated, Shannon needs to be monitored twenty-four-seven."

"God, I wouldn't blame them," Logan exclaimed. "She tried killing herself!"

"That's not all, Logan," Hank interjected, before Xavier started beating around the bush and avoided the true reason why. "Shannon Mitchell has a unique mutant gene in her family, passed down to each generation. She, as well as her mother, sister, Jay and Danielle and maybe their cousins too, have the ability to age faster naturally and stop the process themselves and live for as long as they'd like. They also can choose when they want to live or die. Once they die though, they're dead. They can't come back to life."

* * *

 **Just a quick new notes, as always...**

 **The ideas concerning some of things going on in the school (like Alex being a PE teacher and the reference to Magneto not recruiting children) came from Sheherazade's Fable and her stories about the Maximoff siblings, "Unintended Consequences", "When I Fall" and Letting Go". HIGHLY suggest reading them, they are awesome stories concerning them and follow the comics and movies. I also would recommend her other stories as well!**

 **My last note is about switching back and forth between the past and 2023. Unless I note that there is a change in date, the next chapters will continue the action from the previous chapter. This is to prevent confusion, since the story will go back and forth between the two time frames. If you have any questions, message, review, etc. Thank you!**


	5. Hope

Later that night, Logan went upstairs. His bedroom was at the far end of the hallway, near the stairwell to the third floor, but that was not where he was heading towards initially, as he had a couple of visits to take care of. He first wanted to see a couple of chatty girls in their bedroom, the two that shared their bedroom with Danielle. He found them where they usually were, Jean on the bottom bunk and Ororo on the top. Before knocking and making himself known, Logan was listening to the nauseating discussion from Jean about Scott, Alex's brother that nobody really liked. Jean had taken a shining to Scott and was gushing to Ororo all about it, especially the note she received from him in Hank's biology class. Jean was too involved in her discussion about Scott that she did not hear Ororo ask to be called Storm, she was that oblivious to everything except for the topic of Scott Summers.

About the time Jean started in on Scott's appearances and wishing that Jubilee had been assigned to their room for their gossip session, Logan had enough. He knocked on the door without further ado. "Can I have a word with you two?" he bluntly asked without waiting for them to call him in, aware that he made the two uncomfortable, since they were both in revealing pajamas.

"Uhhh… _sure_?" Ororo said, stunned. "Come in, Logan."

Jean had the same reaction, but said nothing. She watched Logan as he closed the door quickly and soon panicked. However, those fears were unfounded when Logan crossed his arms across his chest in his usual characteristic manner and stared at the two of the on the bunk bed harshly.

"Any of you seen Danielle?" Logan began, seeing the spare empty bed slept in from the night before.

"No," Jean replied, flipping her own red hair around. "She's been out all day. She normally does not come up until after we're all in bed. Sometimes, she comes in earlier and leaves us alone."

"Where could she be?" Logan wondered out loud, a little more sarcastically than he meant the question to be.

"The library? With the Professor?" Ororo suggested, all of them feasible. "How should we know?"

"We're not her keepers," Jean pointed out. "She's just a misfit here. She doesn't belong."

"Aren't we all though?" Logan was beginning to despise Jean's flippant attitude. "Danielle's just a little girl with no friends at this point. All I want is for you two to do is be nicer to her and show her that you're on her side. You don't have to be acting like sisters and doing blood or any stupid shit like that. Just practice a little kindness to one who doesn't know it. Got it?!"

Ororo and Jean jumped at the tone of Logan's voice. It was harsh and demanding. They also had not encountered him much, knowing him as the strange mutant who ran security around the mansion. They sat up in attention at once, reassuring Logan that Danielle will be looked after and that they would help her if she needed it. The sentiments were sincere, Logan saw, and he quickly bid them a good night. He exited their room, again closing the door behind him and hearing the scared whispers of the threat they received. Shrugging his shoulders, Logan walked away from the room, chuckling and congratulating himself on a job well done.

The next and last assignment seemed a little more complicated, Logan felt. On the other side of the hallway, near his own bedroom, was the older boys' section. He poked around this section, unsure of which room he wanted, but soon saw the person he was searching for. Jay Mitchell, sixteen and so sure of himself, was talking with a group of his friends. When he stopped and caught Logan's eye, the others noticed the sudden silence and turned around. Within seconds, all of them scattered to their respective bedrooms, giving excuses to Jay on how and why. Logan grabbed onto Jay's pajama collar before the teenager could run off and dragged him to the room he was standing before, assuming that it was his. Logan then threw Jay onto a bed and closed the door rapidly, inwardly thinking how funny it was that the kids were afraid of him.

"You don't scare me, asshole," Jay declared, showing some bravado that even Logan wanted to laugh about.

"Listen, kid, don't give me shit," Logan began, whipping his head right around. "I'm just here to deliver a message to ya and that idiot cousin of yours."

"What the hell does Matthew have anything to do with this?" Jay asked, immediately reading Logan's mind, which irritated the older mutant to no end, since he knew the rules as well as Jay concerning permission and privacy. "Danielle isn't his business."

"But she's your fuckin' family, dammit!" Logan yelled, loud enough that even the rooms next to them could hear him. "She needs you more than you realize. Don't you see that?"

"See what? See the princess finally see that she has no knight to save her?" Jay laughed in a mocking manner. "I love Danielle. I really do, Logan, but she needs to realize that life isn't a fairy tale. She needs to grow the hell up."

"Do you hear yourself?" Logan was becoming more and more pissed off and was already seeing red, falling back on being blunt and not using kid gloves anymore. "Don't you hear yourself talking, kid? Because I do. You're expecting a _child_ to have adult feelings and actions. Kinda a high expectation for one so small, don't ya think?"

"She's had to _become_ the adult, Logan," Jay pointed out, as if this was the norm within their inner circle. "Don't you see?"

"What are you talking about?" Now, Logan was confused.

Jay blew out some frustrated air. "Danielle has been told to grow the hell up and get over it since she was three years old. Ever since our father left, she's been told to take care of herself. You think Grandma has time for her? She's too busy taking care of Mom. It falls on me, who gets egged on by everyone to make her more independent, even by Matthew, whose life is just as bad. Well, she's becoming that. She's got a keen mind, Logan. She'll be on her own before long and even you would not be able to stop her."

Logan could not believe what he was hearing. "You cold-hearted asshole."

"I've been called worse. Now, anything else you want to threaten me with?"

"Other than going to hell, I won't bother. Oh, wait, you're already there, I see."

"I'm in the sixth circle, to be precise. Danielle is just beginning in the second."

"So, this is all a joke to you? What's going to happen to you, once you join the Army and see what it's really like? It's not a walk in the park, kid. You won't think this is all about Dante anymore. You'll think _that's_ the easiest part."

Logan was done. Furious, he opened the door and walked out, slamming it behind him. He turned around, hoping to head to his secret beer stash in his bedroom when he almost ran into Danielle. She was so small and still that he did not notice that she had been standing outside the door and listening to the screaming match the whole time. Immediately, he calmed down, just to see her smile again, but there was no making this girl any less frightened. She stood as still as she could, closing her eyes and willing herself to be invisible. She even pulled the books in her arms closer to her chest, putting her face into the tomes and soon disappearing before Logan's eyes.

"Hey, Danielle," Logan tried saying calmly before the girl ran off. "You ok?"

Danielle suddenly reappeared, opened her eyes and looked up at Logan, causing the most terrifying things as soon as she did. The walls around her seemed to drip imaginary water except in a blue and silver color and the hallway was very cold. Her body turned the same color as the walls and her eyes weren't even her usual pretty hazel color. They were a frightening shade of onyx black. That alone freaked Logan out most of all.

 _What the hell…?_

"Leave us alone!" Danielle yelled loudly, almost as if she and another voice were saying the words. Without waiting for an answer from Logan, she turned around and ran, shattering the illusion around the hallway.

It was a relief, Logan thought. He rubbed his arms as his healing ability took over. His breath shouted out the last of the misty chill too, his body shaking with one last shudder. He looked around for a few seconds more, seeing if everything was back to normal for real. Everything seemed to be in order, Logan saw, and nothing and nobody had been harmed in the process. However, the whole thing was very bizarre, like a scene from a cheesy horror flick, except Danielle was not possessed by some demon and was running around making things chaotic. This was but a taste of the powers she shared with Jay.

Shrugging his shoulders in indifference this time, Logan turned to walk back to his room. His mind might have wanted beer, but he kept thinking of Danielle and what had just happened. He tried to do the best he could do for her and felt that he succeeded in some ways. In others, he did not and was making things worse. She was feeling her toes were being stepped on and she did not want Logan to enter her world just yet.

 _I'll make her see._ Logan was determined about that. He did not want to fail that little red-headed girl. He wanted her to know that he would be there for her, for as long as he could stick around.

~00~

Two days later, when there was some time off in the afternoon and no bothersome walks to go on, Logan tried following the vague instructions to the music room Danielle was talking about. He went down some ways he thought he knew, took a few turns and soon landed before a door at some dead end. A door was opened, sunshine running through to the opposite wall and dust sauntering out of the doorway. Logan heard some pretty music running from inside and peered inside.

It was Danielle. Logan should have expected it, but was still surprised to see that little girl dance to some music playing from a plugged in cassette player on the far corner. It was instrumental, but Danielle was singing along to some song he didn't know, possibly something someone made up. Logan made himself invisible in the doorway, watching and listening for the last minutes of Danielle's playacting.

 _And all along I believed I would find you.  
Time has brought your heart to me.  
I have loved you for a thousand years.  
I'll love you for a thousand more._

 _One step closer, one step closer…_

It was _really_ good, Logan had to admit, and Danielle was only six years old. If Xavier agreed to someone coming in to train her and perhaps more of the students, they could take that potential and push it a step closer to greatness, which would make Danielle happy. Logan believed in Danielle and her abilities, admitting it to himself at that moment. Getting her to believe it was another story and maybe one for another day.

After some time had passed and Danielle continued on without seeing her audience, Logan noticed that Xavier slowly crept closer too. He parked his wheelchair near the door, blocking Logan from view, and hardly turned around to talk to him. He also watched Danielle, waltzing with some partner not there and singing along to the music still. He laughed to himself, seeing that Logan found the scene to be charming as well.

"It's her therapy, you know," Xavier started in a soft tone. "Since the other night, I've been trying ways to get her to calm down and not pull her brother into anything. She's an angry and sad child, Logan, and the youngest when the average age for mutation development is twelve."

"She's got power even I didn't imagine existed," Logan admitted. "She isn't a threat, is she?"

Xavier immediately turned his chair around. "Good heavens, no! She and Jay just need more control over their powers and to stop instigating when there's no need. They play off of each other well and prompt when they don't need to. The other night, it seemed that Jay was angry and called his sister over so that he could use her to scare someone off."

"Well, it didn't work," Logan muttered.

"It was you?" Xavier didn't seem so surprised.

"Yeah, it was. I wanted some people to pay her some attention, her brother and cousin included. I guess the conversation with Jay didn't work out too well."

"He's going through a lot too, Logan. Don't blame him for his ill temper."

"I won't. It's just an annoying pain in the ass."

"But you love Danielle?"

The question bothered Logan for some reason. He did like Danielle, a lot more than he would let on, but not in the way people would pervert easily. For some reason, he still was drawn to her, like a fly to the flame, and would do anything for her to make life a little easier for her. The way Xavier implied it meant indicated that he was worried about the relationship, like Logan would break Danielle's heart through his constant traveling and hiding. Logan vowed to never do that, a promise he was intent on keeping.

Logan indicated that Xavier watch Danielle for a little longer. "I don't see how someone could not love a girl like that," Logan replied, as a way of avoiding saying his true feelings and ensuring both pairs of eyes were on the dancer/singer. "I don't see how someone would leave her and neglect her care. She's an intelligent kid, even if it might be too much for her own good."

 _I have died everyday_ _, w_ _aiting for you._ _  
_ _Darlin' don't be afraid…_ _  
_ _I have loved you for a_ _thousand years._ _  
_ _I'll love you for a_ _thousand more…_

Xavier and Logan then watched Danielle for a little while longer in silence before the former indicated that they had to leave. Logan followed Xavier out of the hallway and neared his office with some trepidation. He did not want Xavier to tell him to back away from Danielle. He found out that it would hurt him more than he realized and he could not bear that. He only wanted to be a good friend to a great kid and one that needed someone to be there for her.

"Professor –" Logan started, unsure of what else to say.

Xavier turned his wheelchair around, interrupting Logan as they reached his office. "It's nothing you did wrong, Logan. I wish the same thing for Danielle…and I hope that many more see that. I cannot tolerate to watch a student of mine suffer the same way she does, knowing that there isn't much help to give her. I cannot keep thinking of therapies that would keep her out of trouble or constantly see to see why she is crying, but I do have one thing, Logan, and that is _hope_. You seem to be the one thing that keeps giving it to me."

Without waiting for a reply, Xavier went into his office. Logan did not follow, choosing not to, and walked away instead, heading outside past the basketball court. The words Xavier told him repeated themselves in his mind as he ambled down the property, pretending to be checking everything out and starting to smoke a cigar. It was kind of Xavier to say everything he did, almost as if he was giving Logan permission to keep doing what he was, and to reinforce the fact that everyone needed to stick together, no matter what the future brought and no matter the consequences. It was wonderful though, to think that he had some room to break through that wall of Danielle's and bring about her liberation. However, this was only the first step and the long road towards friendship. There would be bumps there, but Logan was ready for the challenge.

And that gave Logan some hope too.

* * *

 **Following lyrics are from Christina Perry's "A Thousand Years".**


	6. Just Trust Me

**July 16, 1987**

Another school year had ended and, with it, graduation and the students running off to choose their careers, either going their own way, the military or some college. For Jay Mitchell though, he was heading right into the Army. For two years, Logan had watched the teenager morph into a more mature adult, graduating the year before and staying behind to help Danielle and himself. Little by little, he helped his sister some more and their powers developed in something Logan still could not understand. But there he was when all was said and done, at the school's entranceway on that hot July day, waiting for his taxi to take him to New York City. There, a plane will take him to Texas for basic training.

Danielle was almost beside herself with grief as she stood in the open doorway, waiting for her brother to leave, but doing the best she could to keep it all together. Next to her was her mother and Matthew, paying more attention to Jay than anything else. Although Matthew promised many times over that he would follow Jay into the Army, he and Shannon hardly noticed the little girl, now eight years old, try her hardest not to cry. Logan, standing in the doorway behind them inside, knew it though. He had watched the family over the past two years, unable to pry his eyes away. From the dust dancing to a girl singing in the bright sunshine to a reputation as a girl full of music in her head, Logan had grown too fascinated with Danielle, he thought.

The abandoned music room turned into one full of sound. New classes had been accompanied along with it. Other than gossip, that one act of kindness on Logan's part turned the school into a livelier place. More students seemed more interested in coming or taking the new classes, which amazed Logan. The happiest of them seemed to be Danielle, walking along the hallways with her head in the clouds and an oversized set of headphones over her ears too. From rock, classical, jazz and even pop, nothing seemed to escape Danielle's grasp and she took music in as her own, as if it were a lifesaver and would keep her from drowning.

 _Drowning in her own emotions, that is._ Logan crossed his arms and watched from the stairwell, still thinking about her and her changes. Her mutant powers had really started kicking in, causing her to become older than she really was. Logan estimated that, at eight right now, Danielle was appearing in every way to be twelve or thirteen.

Danielle wasn't the only one who was changing though. Jay had been breezing through his classes too easily, graduating last year (and a year early, at that) and taking the additional college classes that Xavier and Hank offered, in order to give him some credits. After doing that for a year, Jay finally decided that enough was enough and that he was old enough to tackle life on his own. After turning eighteen back in March, he started the paperwork secretly to get into the Army. He didn't even tell his mother until a month ago, after he was cleared and his paperwork went through and he accepted. He also did not tell his mother about his new love interest, who he was sure to lose. However, Logan had his doubts. This particular girl liked Jay enough and made him more human and less asshole.

Fiona Ellis, a very distant relation of the school nurse Mae Ellis and her brother, the despised Senator Leon Ellis, had met Jay by accident when she moved into Salem Center with her parents. The two bumped into each other on the streets and had been dating on and off for the past two years. Danielle adored Fiona and constantly asked her over to the mansion, but Jay had to put an end to it when rumors swirled around her and the anti-mutant community started harassing her. Some other guy (and a human, at that) started dating her after Jay called it off the week before and he allowed it, just to keep her safe. Logan knew the teenager hoped to come back and marry the sixteen-year-old Fiona, to bring her into the family and prove that mutants would co-exist with the humans.

It was unusual these days, for humans to mingle with the mutants, especially in the last decade. From the sixties onward, mutants had been more of a curiosity, ignited when Magneto played out a speech that spread like wildfire, saw on national TV back in 1973. Afterward, it had been as if they were to be experimented on, to be a specimen humans studied. Although Bolivar Trask had been arrested for treasonous activities the same day Magneto had almost killed President Nixon and his company, he was still petitioning in his cell, begging to be freed. Many others took on the mantle of bringing down the mutants, which gained more popularity in 1978, when Leon Ellis rose to the rank of Congressman on the platform of eliminating the mutants. That gained his a Senate seat just three years ago, giving him more power. And that was just the beginning…

 _Humanity has always feared that which is different, but I am here to tell you, to tell the world, you're right to fear us. We_ are _the future. We are the ones who inherit this earth and anyone who stands in our way, will suffer the same fate as these men you see before you…_

Logan shook the memories aside, especially of drowning and being picked up by Mystique, something that bothered him. For now, he didn't want to think about the current political situation and how he could hardly remember anything from leaving a hotel to Mystique. He saw that Xavier had joined the group outside and was telling Jay something just as the taxi came to the door. Shannon was weepily saying goodbye and Matthew was waving in a casual way, but Danielle stood some steps back, as if now detaching herself from the situation and deciding that tears were not the way to go. She watched the scene unfold before her, waiting her turn for that final goodbye…for now.

Even from afar, Logan heard the conversation between Jay and Xavier. It was tense and off to the side, away from Shannon, but nonetheless seemed very secretive. Logan thought that he was the one in charge of the security issues on the property and knew everything, but now was seeing that Xavier had a life of his own, away from Logan, and that included something akin to spying and espionage. Now, he was understanding why Alex Summers and Roger Mortimer were always kicking around, especially downstairs underground.

Xavier was up to something apart from the school and was on a mission. What it was, Logan had yet to figure out. He will though. That much he vowed.

"When you get assigned back here, I have something for you," Xavier said to Jay.

"I don't even know if I'm staying in New York, Professor," Jay hissed, his eyes on his mother. "I might be assigned across the country and never see my mother except for leave."

"Regardless," Xavier replied, "I have some faith you'll be nearby. And when you're not busy and on leave, there's some things I need you to do for me."

"Phineas Teller's bar, right?"

"Yes. There's some activity there. Alex and Roger have already been down there a few times and have seen a few thing, but I think you, and Danielle when she's older and if this continues this long, would be best to handle this."

" _Danielle_? Professor, I certainly hope this problem isn't going to last as long as I think it'll be."

"I hope so, Jayden, for all of our sakes. Danielle might be another key in the solution, but that'll be for if it comes down to that. Now, are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Jay sighed, saying goodbye one last time to first his mother and then Xavier and Matthew. Finally, he turned to the girl in the doorway, the one who now refused to be emotionally involved in the scenario before her.

Danielle smiled and hugged Jay though, to show that she still cared. "Please come back. You know I'll miss you."

"It's all a part of being an adult, kiddo," Jay admitted, feeling love for his sister perhaps for the first time he could admit to. "Someone needs to be out there doing some good when they could."

The taxi driver was very impatient, honking his horn to indicate that there was hardly any time left. Jay let go of Danielle, smiling too before heading to his seat in the back of the vehicle. Matthew and Shannon had already packed Jay's things in the trunk of the car, waving goodbye along with Xavier as Jay was driven away. They had stopped waving as soon as the dust settled and the taxi was far out of sight. Jay had gone.

The three, spent from the emotional experience, went inside, but Danielle stayed behind in the doorway, staring down the long driveway. She crossed her thin arms too, unable to either comprehend what had happened or refusing to accept it. Logan was leaning towards the latter, seeing that she was playing tough on the outside while she was crying more on the inside. He then wanted to make himself known and didn't know how yet, so continued to watch from the stairwell until Danielle finally came inside and closed the door. It was then that she saw Logan.

"Have you been there this whole time?" she asked him, aware of the answer anyway.

"Yeah." Logan walked down to the landing and met Danielle there. "You know, I've still been lookin' out for you, kid. Don't think I was ignoring you."

"I guess so." Danielle didn't know what else to say. "I've just…you know, been pretty busy too. Momma has me come home in the summers. Grandma doesn't live there anymore and it's strange to…you know…see it so empty."

"Doesn't your mother have a sister or something?" Logan heard something about it and figured that was where Matthew came from.

"Yeah, Aunt Gabrielle." Danielle wrinkled her nose, thinking of something. "She recently divorced her husband. He finally found out that she was a mutant, disowned all of his children and sued her in court. It's still ongoing. Matthew's sisters aren't coming here anytime soon though, with all of the issues going on between their parents."

"What?" Logan was more amused than anything else that Danielle was talking like she was an adult gossiping, kneeling to her level to make her feel like an equal. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah," Danielle replied, feeling a little smug herself because she knew something someone else did not. "Jane and Leandra won't be joining me."

The last statement sounded a little sad to Logan, thinking that cousins were always helpful in not feeling so lonely. "Well, how are things with Jean and Storm?" he asked, anxious to hear how his conversation with the two went some time ago and how much the two listened.

"Good, I guess. Jean likes helping me with my science and math. She's studying to become a doctor." Danielle wrinkled her nose again. "She's also a telepath like me, so she and I see how far we can get into each other's minds without hurting each other. She has a lot more secrets than I realized."

"Really?" Logan raised an eyebrow.

 _Really. But I'm not tell you anything._

The statement in Danielle's voice in his mind made Logan jump up a few inches. It was startling to hear someone in his mind. However, it was also funny. He saw the grin on Danielle's face and could not help but chuckle at her. He trusted her enough to do that and did not want Xavier criticizing her for the action. However, now that he could now feel secretive, he could mention to her a little plan he just thought of, which he was sure would cheer her up and get her a little more assertive. He motioned to Danielle and they walked together to the same window seat they met at two years before. They sat down, the two smiling at each other.

"How…how do you want me to do that?" Logan asked Danielle.

"What do you mean?" Danielle was confused.

"You know…talk with you, like you just did."

"Oh! You need to be connected to me. I can hear your thoughts if you'd let me, but I don't want that. With your permission, I can make the connection and we can have a private conversation whenever you want to."

"Now."

Danielle switched to communicating through their minds. _Now?_

 _Yes, now, Danielle. I wanted to say this away from the Professor, before he catches that we're scheming something._

 _We are?_ Danielle again was confused.

 _Yes, we are. You see, I've been watching out for you for a while. I know what your potential is and I feel that a little fun is in order._

 _Ok…?_

 _You know the dance that Alex is allowing the juniors and seniors tomorrow night?_

 _Yeah. I'm not allowed to go. Jay was going to be a chaperone had he not left earlier._

 _I'm giving you permission to go._

 _How? You can't just sneak me inside. The Professor and Hank would_ KILL _me._

 _No, they won't. The Professor might be mad, but he'll get over it. Hank can be handled easily. This time though, they're doing Karaoke and they're gonna need someone to start the music up._

 _Wait…what?!_

 _Just trust me, Danielle. I'll get back to you in the morning. I need to talk with Jean and Storm._

Logan smiled, as if to reassure of his intentions. "Trust me, Danielle. I've been taking your side this whole time."

"Prove it to me," Danielle dared without thinking, quite defiantly too.

"I have been and will," Logan pointed out. "Once you see that, you'll realize that I'm still in your corner and you're still part of the small group of people I care about."

Logan got up from the seat, intent on finding the two teenagers he'd been wanting to see to see if his scheme going to be feasible on their parts. He walked away without saying anything to Danielle, but he still left permission for her to speak to him in his mind and might just keep it that way. She didn't want to say anything else out loud, he knew, and figured he'd leave himself open for now…just for her.

 _Logan, please…_

Immediately, Logan turned around, facing Danielle. He smiled just for her, the same winning grin he tried on her just two years before. She returned the sentiment, even putting on an air of excitement in the unknown. Her fingers unintentionally released some blue and silver sparks too, which Logan was seeing as expressing the same feelings.

 _Please don't embarrass me, Logan._ Danielle seemed determined in her plea, her stance very begging. _I have ten more years here, maximum. I don't want to carry whatever it is for the years remaining here._

Laughing, Logan nodded. _I promise. You might feel that way at first, but you'll get the hang of it. You'll see._


	7. Let's Make a Few Deals

It wasn't too easy to find Jean and Ororo, since they weren't on their floor yet. However, Logan managed to bump into Matthew on the second floor hallway on the way out, giving him another idea. He saw that Matthew was over his teary-eyed farewell with Jay earlier in the morning and had two giggling girls on both arms, one of them Jubilee and the other one of the new girls who came in a month ago. Logan eyed the young teenager with some contempt, which made the three of them stop and stare back at him. Their bodies shook with fright. All the better, Logan thought. His tough and gruff reputation was paying off in spades.

"Scram," Logan ordered to the two girls on Matthew's sides. Immediately, they obeyed, leaving Matthew along with Logan in the hallway for the moment.

"What do you want with me?" Matthew asked, seeing that he was finally alone. "I didn't do anything this time."

"'This time' being the key words, kid," Logan replied. "Have a room we can talk in?"

Matthew's eyes widened as he felt an easy escape coming, but he complied with the request instead of running. He turned around and walked down the hall, opening a door on the left that was actually across from Logan's own bedroom. Logan followed the teenager, closing the door behind them after they entered. There were two bunk beds in the room and no other roommates in there, which was going to make this conversation better anyway.

Quick as lightning, Matthew moved across the room and picked up a book, pretending to be reading it and trying to now show his nervousness. "What do you want, Logan? You said I wasn't involved in any trouble."

"We might be though," Logan clarified, hoping that would get Matthew's attention.

Matthew looked up from his book. "W-what do you mean?"

"I have a little plan to get your cousin a little more confident," Logan explained. "I want to sneak her into the dance tomorrow night."

"What? No!" Matthew slammed the book shut and threw it at the wall in frustration. "She's eight years old and would easily attract attention. Everybody knows her."

" _Not_ everybody," Logan interjected, before Matthew said anymore. "However, if you look at Danielle a little more closely, you'd see that she's in puberty, slightly taller than the normal eight year old and appearing like she's thirteen, at the most. She's growing up fast, pretty boy, and is more alone and low on the self-esteem, more than you've even realized. Know why she's been happier than she's been here?"

"Music, I would assume."

"Yeah. Don't ruin that for her. So, you can either help me get her to the stage for Karaoke or you can keep quiet. And if you don't keep your damned mouth shut, I _will_ tell the Professor and Hank who's been sneaking out of the school in the middle of the night and having nightly romantic traverses with the ladies in the cabin in the woods."

"That wasn't me. You can't prove it otherwise."

"Yes, I can. Who would the Professor trust more, you think? The school security or a teenager known to be nice with the girls? He can tell who is lying."

Matthew could not find the words to retort, his throat closed so tightly. He was so angry inside that he could not yell back at Logan. He could not even wipe Logan's confident smile off of his face. The guy had a thing for Danielle, he figured out quickly, and was very protective of her. It wasn't in a creepy way (almost like a fatherly thing) and it would surely turn into something if Danielle allowed it. He wasn't sure if his naïve cousin would fall for someone like Logan, but he wasn't going to stick around to find out. He wasn't going to be privy to any schemes that involved her.

"You know, I don't feel like it," Matthew finally said when he found the words, deciding it once and for all. "I've had a date with Jubilee and I don't want to mess that up. It's bad enough I had to give up Storm for her and start an argument between the two. Hard feelings, you know?"

"Yeah, broken hearts you like to leave behind." Logan had enough and tried another tactic. "You know, _I_ don't feel like keeping up with the conditions I made. I think I'll tell the Professor what you've been up to anyway."

"But you said –" Matthew began, outraged.

" _I_ said nothing that sounded like a deal to me," Logan interrupted. "I just said I would tell him _if_ you decided to open your fuckin' mouth and tell everyone I was bringing your kid cousin to this farce you all call a social hour."

"Damn you," Matthew swore. "And I hope to hell that you suffer in such a way that makes your life not worth living anymore."

Logan laughed, which confused Matthew even more. He could hardly recall how he got to the mansion, only that Mystique pulled him out and the, he was sitting in Xavier's kitchen talking (and he could hardly remember that conversation), and nothing more. From then on, he was a quiet fixture of the school and then on and off with his job really until the last five years or so, especially with the last runaround with Stryker. He didn't know what he was thinking on that note, but he sure wasn't going to run by strange and unusual government projects and mix with dubious military men again. He only had to get his adamantium claws out to remind him of everything.

And living in a hellish life that wasn't worth living? Logan had to admit that he went through that too many times already. He had been living on this damned Earth for over a hundred and fifty years. The kid didn't need to remind him that his life had been one disaster after another, a sudden blank canvass and then over a decade of running back and forth between running life alone and being with the people who cared about him in some manner. He didn't need to tell Matthew that he was feeling like he now had a purposes here without feeling the need to leave again.

"You can't wish that on someone who's lived through it all," Logan reminded Matthew as she stopped laughing. "Now, you can meet up in the foyer with or without your date tomorrow night or you can face possible expulsion, which would be a great conversation to have with your now-divorcing parents. Get my drift?"

"I don't know how you got that information," Matthew replied, thinking of Danielle instantly, "and I can't believe you would trap someone like this, but you've got a deal. Where do you need me?"

"Just do as I say and you'll be ok." Logan moved to leave and then turned around again. "Oh, and one more thing, Mathew?"

"What _now_?" Matthew was annoying enough with the requests.

"You try to have a little revenge, I'll have your head on a silver platter." Logan showed off his adamantium claws, something he rarely did these days, but felt the promise too empty, even though he meant it. "Pranks can get out of hand. You do that to Danielle, I won't be able to stop her from killing herself. So, be glad you have that ability too…until your head if off those shoulders of yours."

~00~

After leaving Matthew's room, Logan walked down the second floor hallway and searched for the pair he needed to talk to, lingering a little longer in some areas when he could, and soon saw Jean and Ororo come up the stairs. The two were laughing, holding onto their Friday afternoon class books and appearing in every way to be glad the week was over. They did not notice him nearby until he followed them to their bedroom from behind. As soon as Ororo opened the door, Jean turned around to see Logan following them inside.

"Logan!" Jean pretended to be surprised to see the older mutant, although she was trembling on the inside. "What a pleasure to see you again."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's cut to the chase here." Logan had no patience for the usual girlie small-talk pleasantries. "I need to talk to you and Storm here. We don't need the rest of the school knowing about it until tomorrow night."

"What do you mean?" Ororo asked, scared. She allowed herself, Jean and Logan inside the room and soon closed the door, her back to it and her hands on the doorknob, just in case. "You have something you need us to do?"

"Well, the only two I could think of to help initially," Logan admitted. "You guys don't really have entertainment tomorrow night, do you?"

"Well, the Professor was nice enough to get a Karaoke machine and Scott's brother got a stereo that attaches to it, just in case," Jean allowed.

"Yeah, I know," Logan replied. "Listen, I was thinking of someone who would do the music for free instead of using the same old shit."

"Who?" Ororo moved away from the door.

"Well, that's the problem." Logan rubbed his chin, allowing the two to think that he was in a corner and couldn't get out (although he figured Jean could get through the façade if she tried). "She's not allowed in, since she's much younger, and we need a few people to help sneak her inside. Nobody will be able to pull her out until it's too late anyway."

"Danielle," Jean guessed, without reading Logan's mind.

"Get. Out. Of. Here." Ororo shook her whitening hair and moved away from the door. "No way, Logan. It's not going to work."

"How would you know?" Logan demanded. "There's going to be too many people to notice. By then, nobody is going to care that a talented eight year old is singing Karaoke on stage."

"How are you going her past Alex Summers?" Ororo smiled arrogantly. "He's got a sharp eye."

"Danielle can make herself invisible," Logan explained. "If you two keep her hidden, versus her using her powers and being easily detected, she wouldn't have to hide from Alex and he won't be suspicious. Now, you gonna help or what?"

"What's in it for us?" Ororo wasn't going to back down, Logan noticed, and she was the toughest to get past so far. Jean, at least, wasn't quite opposed… _yet_.

"You get someone to do the music and not make fools of yourselves," Logan pointed out. "You get to see an eight year old show off and you can all decide if she's worth it next time or not. You've got ammo or you've got praise. Either way, you win."

"And we can be the ones who have that power?"

"Exactly, Storm. You can all decide where that goes. You brought her in and you can deny it or take credit. Besides, Matthew is going to help out and the Professor doesn't need to know about you mooning over him and the argument you had with Jubilee…or Jean chasing Scott after hours anyway."

That made Ororo pause, especially when she saw the blackmail. "And Matthew agreed to help?"

"Yeah," Logan said, although he didn't need to say how he made it happen either (much the same way he was going to get the girls to help). "He's going to help sneak Danielle into the gym. You two will be getting her to the stage. You're with enough groups of girls to make sure nobody sees her until the music starts."

"You _sure_ we won't get into trouble?" Jean asked, the first words she said after guessing who Logan was talking about.

"I can't guarantee that," Logan admitted, "but I will take the blame for everything. It's not like the Professor can fire me anyway."

"Well, he _can_ ," Ororo pointed out. "I just don't think he can just spare you."

"I like that assessment better." Jean smiled. "I see the merits in this endeavor, but I also see we'll most likely get in trouble for it. And I like it. It might save us a lot to see someone younger get beaten and humiliated or cheered on for once."

"Front foyer with your dates tomorrow night then." Logan moved to leave, opening the door. "If I don't see you by six o'clock, it'll be unfortunate for the Professor to have an anonymous note under his bedroom door in the middle of the night. I mean, I know he doesn't like hearing of his students breaking the rules, especially with the things going on off of the grounds, but this will break his heart."

"I don't think we need to be reminded of that," Jean said, her voice quivering. Logan knew where it came from. He felt the warning was enough.

Triumphant, Logan soon left, closing the door behind him. Three open threats and so much to do in-between. He was about to head to his bedroom, to see if he had some leftover women crap from his last disastrous girlfriend just for tomorrow, when he almost ran into Danielle. She was about to enter her bedroom when Logan exited and had accidentally stepped on his foot on the way in. Logan said nothing, but studied Danielle for a second before motioning for her to stop.

"Everything is all set," Logan confirmed. "Meet me in the front tomorrow night."

Danielle was genuinely surprised. "What? What's going on? You gonna give me details now?"

"Just trust me," Logan urged, repeating the words he's always said. "You're going to have a good time and we have people who will help you. I promise."

"I hope so," Danielle replied, her voice revealing anything but confidence. "I really do, Logan. Please just don't embarrass me. If I think this is going the way it is, I think I might either have the time of my life or be humiliated."

It was then that Logan tapped his head, disregarding everything he promised Jean and Ororo. _I promise, Danielle. You'll like it._

Danielle only smiled, although it was a weak one. _You kept the last promise, I remember. I'm starting to think that, if you keep promises, I'm supposed to trust you._

Logan could not help but smile broadly, feeling like his words sounded like Xavier's. _I told you, you're someone I care about. Of course, I'll keep my promises. Just have a little faith and you'll get through anything._

Danielle waved Logan away, watching him walk down the hallway to his own bedroom as she thought, fascinated and excited for the first time in a long time. She didn't know what exactly he was up, but she was sure that he was sneaking her into tomorrow night's summer dance and having a go at the Karaoke. She didn't see what that would accomplish and was seeing this as perhaps an act of defiance for someone, maybe the Professor and Hank. She also didn't see it as much fun except getting into trouble, which she was always good at it with her family and something she sometimes enjoyed. However, whatever Logan seemed to have on his mind was different.

 _I didn't read his mind to find out what was truly going to happen. Oh, well. I'll keep that as a surprise and find out tomorrow night._

Shrugging her shoulders, Danielle went into her bedroom.


	8. Melt With You

Six o'clock the next night loomed. The clock in the front hallway chimed the hour with six dongs and there was still no group forthcoming. Logan waited as patiently as he could, seeing no one and feeling pretty foolish holding up an adorable outfit about Danielle's size and some makeup. He already received some questioning looks from the older students and even Alex, who raised an eyebrow before leaving with his date, another teacher on the staff he couldn't remember the name of. Sighing, Logan waited the customary five minutes he usually did not give people and was about to give it up when he heard footsteps above his head and coming down the stairs.

Relieved, Logan saw Danielle coming down the stairs, with Matthew, Jean and Ororo behind her. The dates that came along (Scott for Jean, Nightcrawler for Ororo and Jubilee for Matthew) did not seem so pleased being tagged along for this mission however. It made Logan's heart sink. The more people who knew, the lesser the odds that this would work. No matter, he was thinking as he handed Danielle the clothes and makeup without another word. He was going to get this plan to work, no matter the cost.

Danielle took articles with a confused face. "What's this for?" she asked Logan, not knowing what to think.

"Things I figured would make you blend in better," Logan pointed out. "I'm sure Jean, Storm and Jubilee would help you."

"What? No way!" Jubilee appeared outraged. "I'm not helping some _kid_ get into this dance."

"You want things to keep mum, I think you'd better," Matthew said quietly.

Jubilee pouted for a minute, unsure of whether to say something or to run off with another guy for a date, but decided that the threat was real and that Matthew was not joking. Sighing with exasperation, she rudely took the clothes and makeup out of Danielle's hands and led her to the living room quickly, motioning for Jean and Storm and stand before the doorway and allow no one in. After a few minutes, when the noises from the other teenagers started coming closer to the landing, Jubilee emerged with Danielle. She, along with Jean and Ororo, escorted her to Logan for inspection. Logan had taken a good guess on the makeup coloring and clothing and thought he did a good job with the size and shade. Although in bell bottoms (which was a decade behind), a revealing top and appearing in some way like a clown, Danielle looked older and would have fit into the crowds perfectly. She just didn't appear the part though, the way her hazel eyes kept begging for help.

Logan grinned. "All right, let's get going," he suggested, watching as more teenagers descended and headed to the gym.

The group nodded. The six teenagers then circled around Logan and Danielle and led them down the hallway, following the exodus that was heading downstairs. Xavier had allowed Alex to open the indoor gym underground, although he blocked off the rest of it off and set a single line to the doors. Luckily, nobody was at the door to check everyone and ensure proper age range, so Logan signaled to Ororo and Jean as they neared, ignoring the music blaring from speakers inside. The two girls took that as their cue to take Danielle to the stage. Nightcrawler moved to help, but Ororo held her hand up. They both figured it less conspicuous if there was only two of them and not a large gathering around one person. With that in mind, Logan left the rest of them and made his way to the back of the gym, where Alex stood. His date was nowhere in sight, but Logan saw that Jean and Ororo beelined with Danielle between then to the stage. They were hidden well enough.

"What do you think?" Alex asked Logan without seeing what the older mutant did, taking a sip of something that Logan knew wasn't legal on school ground. "Think this was a good idea?"

"Handing me that glass would be better," Logan pointed out. Alex obliged, allowing Logan a sip before taking it back. "But yeah…yeah, I guess the kids are having a good time, although us being here spoils everything. They're forgetting that they don't have a home to go to and that this is their home for now."

"For the time being, Logan, I've put some music on instead of the damned machine. I know they'll warm up and start embarrassing themselves."

"Naw. Doubting that. We have some pretty talented people in the school."

"Well, you're right. At least they're not all getting drunk and doing it."

Logan had to laugh. "I bet some will sneak. We'll get 'em though."

Alex grunted, something akin to agreement too. It was odd, Logan had to admit, that he and Alex were on the same page. He normally did not bother the PE teacher and vice versa. However, it was nice to pass the drink back and forth and watch the kids for a while, even though who seemed nervous and unsociable. Music continued to play, participants of the dance started to get moving and the atmosphere seemed to ease up. After an hour of this, Logan was beginning to wonder when the Karaoke was going to be fired up when suddenly, the type of music seemed to change. Instead of being with lyrics, it was instrumental. Logan only had to look over, to where the stereo was, seeing Nightcrawler change the channels. The blue mutant put a thumbs-up to Logan and continued working the buttons.

Even slightly buzzed and still standing, Alex noticed the change. "You think they're ready?" he asked Logan, worried.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Logan replied quickly… _too_ quickly, he noticed. Alex looked at him strangely, but Logan reassured him with a smile. "I'll check up front, in case they're fooling around. You stay here and mind the back."

Alex nodded, emptying his glass and going for something non-alcoholic this time. Logan took this as a sign to escape. He ran towards the other side of the gym, but passed Matthew and Jubilee in the process. They too seemed positive and excited about something (Jubilee even seemed to have changed her tune). They too gave Logan some indication that this was going to turn out ok. However, when Logan passed Scott, the teenager stopped him, seeming to have a totally different story.

"Danielle is hyperventilating," Scott stated, almost sounding gleeful that it was happening.

"Is she ok?" Logan became concerned, despite the tone Scott said the words.

"Jean is helping her." The statement sounded a little tart, like Scott did not like the idea. "A few more minutes and she'll be ready."

"Good." Logan nodded, sending Scott on his way and trying not to appear suspicious, especially to one as sharp-eyed as Alex. He watched around the gym a few times, pretending to be watching the teenagers again (and ignoring the comments about smoking and going to McDonald's later in the evening) when a new song started and a shadow entered the stage.

It was Danielle. She did appear in every to have gotten over the panic attack Scott said she had, but she was dancing awkwardly to her spot in the center, where a microphone stood. On cue, she started to sing.

 _Moving forward, using  
All my breath,  
Making love to you  
Was never second best.  
I saw the world thrashing  
All around your face,  
Never really knowing  
It was always mesh and lace._

 _I'll stop the world and melt with you.  
You've seen the difference  
And it's getting better all the time.  
There's nothing you and I won't do.  
I'll stop the world and melt with you._

By then, the attractive kid with the amazing singing voice got everyone's attention and nobody cared that she was younger than them by almost a decade and acting like she was older. Every face was turned to the stage, soon moving to their own kind of dance. By the refrain, everyone was singing along. The further Danielle went into the song and saw that people loved what she was doing, the more confident she was and the more she interacted with them. Even she started getting into the swing of everything.

 _(You should know better.)  
Dream of better lives,  
The kind which never hate  
(You should see why.)  
Dropped in the state  
Of imaginary grace,  
(You should know better.)  
I made a pilgrimage  
To save this humans race.  
(You should see why.)  
What I'm comprehending  
A race that long gone by…_

 _(I'll stop the world…)  
I'll stop the world and melt with you  
(I'll stop the world…)  
You've seen the difference  
And it's getting better all the time.  
(Let's stop the world…)  
There's nothing you and I won't do.  
(Let's stop the world…)  
I'll stop the world and melt with you._

 _The future's open wide…_

 _(Let's stop the world…)  
I'll stop the world and melt with you.  
(Let's stop the world…)  
I've seen some changes,  
But it's getting better all the time.  
(Let's stop the world…)  
There's nothing you and I won't do.  
(Let's stop the world…)  
I'll stop the world and melt with you…_

By then, Alex was next to Logan and squinting his eyes, apprehensive. "Is that…who I think it is?" he asked Logan, panic in his voice as his brother passed him without Jean and winked.

Logan shrugged his shoulders, trying to appear indifference and not involved in the ordeal. "I don't know. But whoever she is, she's pretty good."

Alex could not help but agree. It was obvious that whoever was singing on stage was not the age range at this dance and had snuck in with someone's help, most likely from many people actually. His mind soon fell on the person who changed the music from stereo to Karaoke (Nightcrawler) and whose date he was. Ororo Munroe was roommates with Jean Grey, the latter who was dating his brother (who came up to him to say that he should check the stage), and those two had a little girl who was rooming with them. And all of those links went all to Logan, the one who was helping that little girl named Danielle Mitchell.

 _The future's open wide…_

"Logan, I can't believe you did this!" Alex immediately started for the stage, rubbing the side of his head. "Dammit!"

 _I'll stop the world and melt with you.  
(Let's stop the world…)  
You've seen the difference  
And it's getting better all the time.  
(Let's stop the world…)  
There's nothing you and I won't do.  
(Let's stop the world…)  
I'll stop the world and melt with you.  
(Let's stop the world…)_

By the time Alex disappeared and the teenagers clapped, sang and hooted in approval as the song wound down, another adult appeared next to Logan mysteriously. He was older than the rest of the crowd, maybe in the early forties, and was interested in Danielle on the stage. He rubbed his chin, studying the girl carefully. The hairs on Logan stood on end. Clenching his teeth, he turned to the man, trying not to make a scene, and saw that the man noticed him first. He motioned to Logan with his eyes to Danielle, the cheeks on his face glistening with black diamonds on either side, grinning as the song ended and Alex was seen whisking Danielle away. The music from the stereo started up again, masking the applause and embarrassing scene afterward.

"You call this a show?" the man asked Logan eagerly.

Logan unsheathed his claws. "I would, but she's isn't some pet to be coddled with."

"Oh, no!" The man chuckled. "No, no, no. I think she's more independent than that, Logan. Or, is it James Howlett these days?"

Logan tensed. "Whatever my name is happened to be none of your damned business. What is my business is why you're here."

"Some call me a friend and a savior while others calls me a pervert and a menace." The man licked his lips, fingering a diamond on his right cheek. " _Nobody_ has dared to cross me though. They call me Diamond Jack for many reasons and none of them for misguiding anyone."

Logan went to lunge at the man with the black diamonds with his claws out, but the mutant suddenly disappeared into thin air and Logan landed on the floor, shaking it. Using his other senses as he cracked his neck, he tried tracking down the mysterious man and found nothing nearby, which worried him immensely. Instead of being able to walk the gym and search, he had someone pull him from behind and up to his feet. Logan immediately turned around with his claws out still and faced an angry-looking Hank. He retracted them quickly, unsure of what the fuzzball wanted this time, especially at a time when he felt that there was threat to the school. He didn't think he would have to explain that to Hank though, by the way he was looking.

"Professor's office. _Now_." Hank's tone left no room for arguments.

Feeling like a punished student too, Logan slipped out of the gym with Hank without anyone seeing them. He followed the blue back upstairs to the main floor and down the hallway to Xavier's office, finding the door closed to them. There, the seven kids he got involved in this little scheme stood outside. The three couples appeared in every way to be guilty except for Scott (who Logan was suspecting to be the one who told his brother) and Danielle was close to tears. Logan immediately felt so sorry for her. He promised that she would have a good time. She did have one and was abruptly taken away at her one moment of triumph.

Logan wanted to comfort Danielle in any way he could, but Hank stood nearby, hovering around her in a parental way, his posture almost telling Danielle that what she did with Logan was wrong. Logan then looked upon her helplessly, hoping that his eyes conveyed how sorry he was about what happened and how they ended up outside of Xavier's office with Hank showing off that he would get into a rage at any time now.

 _Dammit._

* * *

 **Above lyrics from are from the Modern English song, "Melt With You".**


	9. Some Steps Forward

After ten minutes of waiting and preparing, Xavier opened the door to his office. All of them entered silently, even Hank, and passed him without a word, they all were that guilty. Xavier then closed the door behind them, passing the group and settling behind his desk. He motioned for Hank to join him behind the desk. Once that had been accomplished, he looked at the eight in front of him very severely, although he was loathe to give out any punishments to any of them. Scott was very smug versus Jean, regretful of what she's done. Ororo and Nightcrawler were, in every way, very embarrassed, but glad that it was done and well worth it. Matthew and Jubilee seemed the most annoyed with missing the dance downstairs, although they were scared of the consequences about to be faced.

Danielle and Logan? Well, the younger girl was as scared as Matthew and Jubilee, but also elated by what she's done. Logan felt guilty in his own way and it was because he caused the seven younger people to be caught in something he concocted. There was an equal amount of emotions in there and it was time to Xavier to extract the sentence, which he hoped to be as stern as possible, all things considering.

Xavier folded his hands on his desk. "I think we all know why we're here this night."

Everyone then started speaking at once, most of them apologies and begging not to be expelled from the school, but Hank silenced everyone when he raised his hand. "Whatever your part of this is, refrain from saying anything until one of us asks you, if at all. I believe we know the true instigator of the whole incident." Hank looked squarely at Logan, annoyed. "You want to speak for yourself, Wolverine?"

Logan did not believe that what he did was wrong and thought he…well, bent the rules a little bit to help someone. "I don't deny what I did," Logan began, "but I refuse to say that what I did, as well as the people I've gathered with me, was wrong."

Xavier was taken a little back. "How do explain yourself?"

"Logan, you were breaking the rules anyway by taking this kid into the dance," Jubilee hissed. "We were a party to it."

"Shut up," Matthew ordered in the same tone to Jubilee. "We didn't have to accept his bluff on the blackmail."

"I've been looking out for a lot of people in this school," Logan started clarifying before the teenagers incriminated him further. "I cannot stand back and watch someone as talented as Danielle be held back by something as trivial as age. She's young, I'll give you that, but she has a lot of spunk and a spark that nobody has yet to ignite into a true fire. Even you, Professor, have failed to see her true potential."

"I would agree," Xavier conceded, willing himself to be stricter, even if he couldn't help but smile by the observation.

"Someone needed to break it through," Logan continued. "I'm not paternal by any stretch of the imagination. However, even those without that instinct can still be a friend and make them feel a little rebellious at times."

"I find your observations a little outrageous," Hank remarked. "You still held the hand of a younger girl, who had trust in you, and incited her into behavior that is not acceptable in the school. In addition to that, you rounded up accomplices to help you complete this work."

"You make it sound like a crime," Logan argued. "What crime is there in trying to make someone more confident?"

"Both of you have a point," Xavier interjected, just before a full-blown argument started between Hank and Logan. "The intention was good, although the action was not." Xavier then looked at the seven students who were under Logan's thumb and decided that he did not need their stories, their faces were enough to tell it all. "I know who was involved in what part. I do not condemn the action, although the way it was done was not acceptable. All of you old enough to attend the dance will miss the rest of it and write an essay on the merits of obeying the rules, leaving this instance out. Danielle, yours will involve keeping secrets. All of them will be at least fifteen hundred words and will be on this office desk by tomorrow morning, before the first bell. You can go now."

Relieved at being let off so easily, the students went to the door, exiting quickly before seeing another punishment on their heads. Hank went to close the door again, leaving Logan again in the spotlight. While Hank pretended to be cleaning the office and picking up paperwork to be done for later, Xavier peered at Logan stoically, hoping the light chastisement was enough for the seven involved. However, he had more words for the security of the school.

"I would assume you are asking yourself how I knew," Xavier started up again, hoping to get Logan's interest.

"Not really," Logan admitted. "I figured Scott found a chance to tell Alex and, once he sobered up a bit, figured out through a few minor incidents and connected it all."

Xavier had to sigh. He didn't know that Alex was drinking again. He hoped that it was not serious, like it was some years ago, when he left Vietnam. By then though, Xavier was trying to figure out how many more secrets his school held. Was it enough that he was not privy to them all, keeping his mind from wandering from person to person and keeping his own ethic code intact? Was it enough to not pry into their private lives and not anticipate events like these? Xavier would not tell yet.

"Well, that isn't the exact sequence of events, but it is close," Xavier admitted. "Hank noticed Jean and Storm before the living room entranceway and became curious. He overheard some things and did nothing about it until he went to the gym. Scott passed by him and informed him, quite gleefully I might add, what had conspired. He then went by his brother and mentioned to him that there was something wrong with the dance, but nothing more. He allowed the chaos to come about and Alex rounded up the conspirators. Hank was then in charge of getting you to come along."

"Yeah, well, I was busy with something else," Logan replied, rubbing the back of his head. "Seems that we had an intruder that disappeared."

"What?" Xavier was alarmed. "Do you know who it was?"

"He called himself Diamond Jack. Middle-aged, thinning hair, staring at Danielle. He had two black diamonds on his face."

"He had diamonds each cheek, I would presume."

"Yes. Do you know him, Professor?"

Xavier felt that he no choice to keep it a secret anymore. "The mutant is Phineas Teller, a bar owner in Salem Center. His bar is focused on the mutant community, although he has enough human friends to keep him out of trouble with the law. In the past, he has passed deals between politicians in New York and New Jersey in the back rooms. Nowadays, he has been placing a hook out for Senator Leon Ellis and reeling him into his schemes to make him more famous. Teller, along with Chameleon, have been rumored to have helped the senator elected to Congress in the past and are working in a plot to undermine the mutants."

"Mutants…fighting against mutants?" Logan was confused. "I don't understand, Professor."

"None of us will comprehend the concept of greed, Logan. Chameleon has known the senator since their days in Vietnam and introduced him and Teller because he knew that Teller would help Ellis gain the money and momentum in order to be famed. The two are still with Ellis because of the codependence and because Ellis knows their influence in the community and how well they do the work for him without getting his hands dirty. They cannot break away, even if they wanted to, and continue to weave the web for the senator."

"Got too much on the two, I take it?"

"Senator Ellis is powerful enough to take Teller to prison and lock Chameleon in a mental asylum for life."

"So, at this point, the two would be doing it against their wills?"

"If all of it is true, then yes, Logan, I would say it is. If Teller is here and he is watching Danielle, then they are interested in her. Chameleon is her father, as well as Jay's. It could be that the senator has other plans, which may include using a tool against the school or the mutant community in general."

"Is this why you asked Jay to watch the bar?"

Xavier did not seem surprised that Logan overheard that conversation. "Using Jay might bring Chameleon, as well as Teller, out. He might be the needed person in there in order to bring about our plans to counter what the senator has. With this new development though, I would need someone to go there sooner. Since I do not want Alex in there, since he is more recognizable and might take advantage of the alcohol, I would ask you, Logan."

"Me?" Logan was incredulous. "What about the school?"

"Other than Magneto spying every once in a while, I am not worried." Xavier smiled. "Besides, I am sure that you will be able to carry out your duties here as well as checking in on Teller every once in a while."

"And Danielle? You said they might use her."

"They might. Can you watch her, every once in a while?"

"You know I can, Professor."

"Good." Xavier waved his hand in dismissal. "Oh, and one more thing, Logan."

"Yes?" Logan was about to leave, but turned around once he heard Xavier request one last thing.

"If any of your plans require sneaking around, lying, covering something up or using blackmail of any form, don't do it," Xavier cautioned. "I would also not rely upon the young to keep so many secrets. As you can see, this did not turn out very well."

Logan grinned. "I'll remember next time, Professor."

~00~

Although it was a Sunday night, Logan knew that the bar would be open. Sure that the school could spent some time without him, he walked out the doors and into town, soon hitchhiking a ride with a motorcyclist as soon as he reached the wooded roads. The driver took him to Teller's back parking lot, receiving some money for gas and thanks from Logan. From there, Logan waited in the long line to the door. As soon as it was his turn though, a large man with snake's eyes and a thin tongue greeted him. His name tag even introduced him as Snake Eyes.

"Who's this now?" Snake Eyes asked in a hiss, sounding distrustful of Logan.

"A new patron," Logan replied. "What's it matter to you, bub?"

Snake Eyes studied Logan for a moments before allowing stepping aside to allow him in. "Come inside. Table on the right is open or you can pay at the counter."

"Thanks." Logan entered after Snake Eyes stepped aside. He saw the tables were full except for the one indicated, sporting a woman scantily cladded. Not feeling like pretending to enjoy a woman for a night, Logan went for the counter.

He was in luck. The mutant named Phineas Teller was cleaning glasses behind the counter and noticed Logan come in. Smiling, he put the glass he was wiping down and put all of his attention to Logan.

"What'll it be?" Teller asked, his tone indicating that he wasn't just talking about alcohol.

"Pitcher of beer." Logan took some money out and a cigar. Teller lit it, which made Logan grateful that he didn't need to dig in his pockets for a lighter.

Teller fulfilled the order, even giving Logan a taller glass than normal. Logan poured himself the foamy substance as Teller went back to his cleaning, smoking his cigar and thinking of the best strategy to get into the inner circle of this bar. Granted, it was pretty sleazy and he would have passed it otherwise because of how dingy it was, but this was important, especially to Xavier. Seeing what was going on with Senator Ellis and the people here was more imperative. It might mean their futures.

Soon though, Teller was back, smoking a cigarette himself. "So, what do they call you?" he asked Logan, flicking his ashes into the ashtray. "I saw you at Xavier's, right? The one with the metal claws?"

Logan put the cigar in his mouth and showed off his claws. "Yeah. What about it?"

"Well, I see how it is," Teller remarked, getting Logan's attention. "You need something and I need someone. What you need, I'll give, but I'm gonna need you to get someone for me."

"Would depend." Logan took the cigar out of his mouth and drank some beer before inhaling again. "Who are you lookin' for?"

"Danielle Mitchell." Teller seemed final on it. "I want her for the shows, nothing more."

"Bub, she's _eight_ years old. Wait a few years."

"You might need to wait that long for what you want too. At least Danielle can get away with being a teenager right now."

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "So? At least I have patience."

Teller looked Logan in the eyes carefully. "Getting too dissatisfied with being at that school? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"

"A man has many faces he shows to everyone," Logan replied, finishing his cigar. "The first is the one he shows his family. The second is for those who are closest to him, more so than his family. The last is for himself, the truest form of all."

The bar owner had to think about what Logan said for a minute. When he realized what Logan had meant, he put his hand out for a shake. Logan took Teller's hand, annoyed that he had to forgo another cigar. However, he also saw it as a step towards Teller trusting him. He might even be able to get inside what was going on between the bar owner, Ellis and Chameleon, but that was a long shot at the moment. For now, he was content with the beginning of a friendship with Teller, a cigar to smoke and some beer to drink.

"So, what am I calling you, Claws?" Teller asked Logan, again asking for his name before sealing the deal.

"Wolverine," Logan replied. "You can call me Logan though."


	10. Getting Established

**September 8, 1987**

Jay Mitchell managed to wrestle for a week's worth of leave before going to his permanent duty station at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn. When he arrived at the front doors of Xavier's school in full dress uniform after his base training graduation, intent on finding someone to help him with his bags (maybe Matthew or his mother), he found the school in its first day scrambles and saw that everyone excited about the new school year. With two heavy bags in his hands, Jay walked around the front foyer, confused. He was stuck between going to his sister or Xavier when he ran into Logan.

Logan was already planning on spending his time in the late summer sunshine smoking his last cigar in storage and scheming how to take the next step with Teller. Seeing Jay there, already back from basic training, was a surprise. He put his cigar back in his pocket and awkwardly stood there, unsure of what to say.

"Hey, kid," Logan finally greeted, uncertain of how else to greet the eighteen year old.

"Is that what you call everyone younger than you?" Jay asked him, putting his bags down. "Where's the Professor? Danielle? My mother?"

"Professor is in conference with Hank," Logan retailed," and I think your sister is upstairs in her room. I'm sure she'll know you're here soon enough. And your mother…well, I can't tell you that."

"Jay!" An excited squeal from on top of the stairs caught the two men's attentions (as well as everyone else around them). It was Danielle.

 _Speak of the devil._ Logan fiddled the cigar in his pocket before realizing that it would be a while before getting to it. He would watch the action for now.

Danielle ran down the stairs, jumping on Jay and knocking him and his bags over in an enormous hug. Jay had, by then, surrendered to his sister, listening to her rapid-fire questions as they sat up and not understand anything she said. Even Logan could not even decipher what Danielle was saying, she was talking that fast. The only thing he got out of it was how she handled being separated well and that she could use her powers without him, regardless of distance.

Finally, after exhausting her inquires, Danielle looked at Jay. "You got sunburnt."

Jay was astonished. "Is that all you can ask me after almost two months away?"

"Well, I asked you a _ton_ of stuff," Danielle pointed out. "You just didn't listen."

"I think he tried to, kid," Logan remarked, helping Jay stand up and separate from Danielle. "You just talked too fast."

"I don't mean to." Danielle appeared pouty for a second, but soon perked up. "Oh! Jay! You wouldn't believe what happened while you were gone. I've done a lot of fun things here."

"Did you even go _home_ this summer?" Jay asked.

The way Danielle's face turned dark confirmed all of Jay's fears. He frowned. He knew that he should have called when he could, but everything was so limited and he had a million guys wanting to listen to his calls going home. He always refused them, opting to write home instead and not hear jokes about his mother. He never sent anything to the school, hoping that Danielle would get out of there for some weeks and spend some time at the farmhouse with their mother. However, it would explain a lot of things, especially why he never received any letters from home.

"What happened to Mom when I was away?" Jay demanded, something that also attracted attention from the others around them.

Logan put a hand on Jay's shoulder. "I think we need to take this discussion somewhere else, kid. I can get the Professor and we can talk in his office."

"Not yet." Jay seemed final on that decision. "My room still being used?"

"Nobody has it, as far as I know." Logan knew Jay's roommates had graduated with him and had moved on. "I think you can still bunk there though. Let's head there instead then."

Jay agreed. He (along with his bags), Logan and Danielle then trekked upstairs. They stopped before the bedroom. Logan took his spare set of keys from his back pocket and unlocked it. It wasn't too dusty in there, they all saw as they entered, and the bed still had clean sheets, but it was oppressively hot. Danielle moved to open the window, dramatically dragging herself there to make a point.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, need a fan in there." Jay laughed. "I get it."

Danielle shrugged her shoulders, grinning as she bounced on the bed and ruined the sheets. Logan found a chair and settled there, but Jay remained standing. It was then that Logan noticed how straight his back was and how much he was at attention. Jay had changed a little, Logan mused. He seemed a little more respectful and had more tact. That would amend too. Once he did some grunt work and got used to be the low man on the totem pole, Jay would figure out ways to fight back and be a smartass. That was the way it always went.

"So, what's been going on since I've been gone, other than not being able to go home?" Jay finally asked Danielle.

"Logan got me into the first dance of the summer break," Danielle replied.

"What?" Jay turned to Logan. "How did you manage that?"

"Well, it was nothing." Logan tried sweeping that under the rug. "The strange thing is about your mother."

"She didn't try committing suicide again, did she?" Jay asked, feeling sarcastic.

"No," Danielle confirmed.

"No," Logan echoed.

"Then, what is it?" Jay was impatient, crossing his arms. Logan knew that that part of him wasn't going to change.

"Mom…well, she's been hospitalized," Danielle explained, unsure of what else to say. "Just after you left, she went to her room at the school and stayed there. Nobody knew that she was cutting herself."

"Just because I left?"

"We don't know. The Professor just had her taken away by ambulance when he found out. I have not been allowed to see her. However, she did say that either you or the Professor was to take care of me when things happen from now on."

"So, you've been stuck here this whole time?"

Danielle nodded. "Yeah. I mean, it wasn't so bad being with people with no families. Nobody asked me anything. They just remember me as the kid who got snuck into the dance and didn't get really punished for it."

"Wait…how…how did you get punished?"

"Just writing an essay, but that's not the point. I've been doing a lot of walking and exploring this summer."

"Yeah, and you've got class in fifteen minutes," Logan interjected before the conversation went too deep. He saw the lower lip quiver from Danielle immediately. "No, _no_ , we're not going through this again. Get your books and get to class. You'll have time tonight to talk with your brother. Out!"

Danielle obeyed quickly. She hugged Jay, hesitating before Logan and decided on waving before running off. The two watched her leave and waited a few minutes, to make sure that she was not coming back and eavesdropping, and stared at each other. Logan saw that there was still no love lost between the two. They had the same interest (namely Danielle) and that was the only thing that was bringing them together for another common cause. Other than that, it was going to be hell.

"The Professor said something about Phineas Teller before I left," Jay started. "I figured you were sent in first. They wouldn't be using Alex Summers."

"Yeah. What about it?" Logan fingered the forgotten cigar in his pocket.

"You still smoking cheap cigars?" Jay used his powers and managed to get the cigar out of Logan's pocket, sighing and keeping the item just out of Logan's reach. "Answer my questions and I'll let you go smoke peacefully."

"You know, kid, you're really bothering me."

"That's my job. Now, tell me about Phineas Teller."

"Nothing much yet. I think you should talk with the Professor first though."

Jay pulled the cigar further out of reach. "Too bad you aren't smoking anytime soon after this one is done."

"How would you know this is my last one?"

"I just do. Now, you gonna tell me or am I doing this the hard way?"

"By going to the Professor, I would say go for it. It ain't my place to tell you about this, kid. It's a pretty dangerous assignment. I wouldn't even get you involved. Leon Ellis is a scumbag I'd rather bury six feet deep and forget about, even if he was still living."

"At least you're honest." Jay gave the cigar back to Logan, the item quickly pocketed again. "Now, you gonna tell me what Danielle's been up to while I was away?"

"Mischief," Logan replied. "She's been the secret prankster of the school."

"Oh?" Jay raised his eyebrow in interest.

"Yeah," Logan continued. "After the dance, she's been finding outlets and using her privacy to cover her tracks. The interest in music outweighs it, which is why I think people don't suspect her."

"Like, what kind of pranks are we talking about?"

"Exchanging the salt and sugar shakers, putting sugar free syrup out for the pancakes…things like that. I'd keep this mum if I were you."

"Always." Jay grinned. "Friends?"

"Jean and Storm are warming up to her. Jubilee hardly looks at her anymore."

"Matthew?"

"Joining in with her on occasion. They've been annoying everyone with renditions of Beatles' songs."

Jay laughed. "That's Mom's influence, I'm sure."

"Your mother into music too?"

"Yeah. She taught us both to write music and to love it. It's so hard to believe that she's a train wreck now. When I was a kid, she wasn't so bad. I think it would have been easier if our father had died in Vietnam and it was just her and me. Everything was worse after Danielle was born."

"You blamin' your sister?"

"No. God, no. I'm saying it would have been easier if Mom didn't make life so complicated. I'm sure she's still not over what happened to Danielle when she was three."

"What _did_ happen that day?" Logan asked, curious. "I heard something caused your father to leave."

"Something we'd rather leave in the past, so Danielle doesn't get reminded of it," Jay sharply retorted. "Now, back to Phineas Teller…"

"Kid, I'm tellin' you, there's nothing much I can say without the Professor's say-so," Logan protested.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, which saved Logan from another argument. Jay called for the person behind it to come in cautiously, unsure of what to expect. When the door opened, Hank stood there, hesitant if he could come inside or not. Instead of appearing pompous as he normally did, the look on his face was serious. Something was bothering him. That perked Logan's interested right up.

"Hank," Jay greeted, going to the door and inviting him in. "How are you? How are things?"

"Fine, fine." Hank waved Jay away and closed the door behind him. "We have some business to conduct with the Professor later on, but I figured to get some things out of the way. Logan, you have a phone call."

"What?" Logan was confused. He never received calls from anyone.

"Teller," Hank confirmed. "He would not indulge the details of what he wanted, but he gave me a phone number. The Professor has it in his office."

"Of course." Logan shook his head. This was getting a little personal. While resolving to keep this as far away from the school as possible, he also needed to get himself back on the grid, which was something he dreaded for some years now.

"Now, Jay, we need to talk," Hank said, turning to the younger mutant. "I am _hoping_ that Logan would not mind, however much he likes to be alone on this."

"Yes?" Jay leaned in, curious.

"We need you to be bait for a little while," Hank explained. "It seems Teller has a thing for your sister. We need to ensure that one Mitchell sibling would be satisfying for now. I am hoping that this would not last until Danielle gets older, but it might and we might need to use her."

"What are you talking about?" Jay asked. "Danielle is eight years old. How is it that a man like him is eying her for his candy shows?"

" _That's_ a long story," Logan interjected, already annoyed that nobody consulted him on Jay joining him.

Jay turned to Logan. "I hope to hear that story soon, Logan. I'm not having my kid sister playing a striper in that bar. Over my dead body!"

"It might have to happen," Hank pointed out again, sighing that this was already getting out of hand. "Jay, you need to understand. The future of humans and mutants might rely on this. Everyday now, Ellis is gaining more and more power. Already, there are laws being debated on the future of the mutants. He depends upon people like Chameleon and Teller to do his dirty work. In turn, they depend on people below them to get the rest of the job done. It's imperative to get inside of their operation and stop it."

"I'm not going to be able to do much when I'm in," Jay whined. "I can do things on leave, but that's about it."

"I think that's all we can ask for now," Hank reassured Jay. "If introductions were done and promises made, then we might get a step further, once we are established."

"What do you mean?" Jay was curious, Logan more so. The latter sat silently, willing himself not to interrupt.

"Jay, I cannot stress enough the seriousness of the situation," Hank continued. "We are conducting what is considered espionage and might be tried if we are caught and Senator Ellis is not lenient. So, it's either them or us. We can either smash this operation or they can kill us."


	11. Preservation

Logan wasn't always into breaking the law openly. When it involved breaking someone's plans though, he was always involved and he loved every minute of it.

It was too easy to get Jay into the bar, even though he wasn't twenty-one yet. Snake Eyes always turned a blind eye for those who were underage and did not care either way, only raising a thin eyebrow on Jay's uniform. After all, it was said that Teller operated on a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. He also muddled so much paperwork for those who worked for him that nobody questioned the ages of the people playing. Regardless, Logan was feeling a little nervous and rebellious at the same time. It was a few days before Jay had to go to his permanent duty station and he desperately needed Teller to like the young mutant and become enchanted before the chances for that became fewer and fewer.

Logan and Jay entered the bar, the former directing the latter to the counter where Teller usually was. They sat down and Logan immediately ordered the typical pitcher of beer. Jay made a face, putting money on the counter for some shots of Jack Daniels. Logan said nothing (figuring Jay had been drinking behind everyone's backs), waiting for the drinks and paying for his portion. Teller delivered everything all right, but his interest was on Jay alone. He stood next to Logan, eying the elder Mitchell sibling with a smile. He then nudged Logan in the shoulders and laughed.

"Oh, Wolverine, how long do we have him?" Teller asked, filling another pitcher of beer for another customer.

"Couple of days," Logan confirmed, sipping his beer. "He's heading to base soon."

"Think we can talk to him?"

"Not yet. Wait a few months and we can try."

Teller shrugged his shoulders in indifference and tended to another patron at the counter, but his eyes were all on Jay. However, he was soon busy when the music acts started messing up. Apologizing to Logan and Jay, Teller ran off. However, Logan watched as he ran over to the stage, losing himself in the crowds and shouting orders, and soon reappeared down a hallway on the left. Tempted to leave Jay to his own devices (he was a big boy, after all), Logan stood up, drowning the last of his beer from the glass. Telling Jay to have the rest of the pitcher (which he doubted would happen), Logan followed Teller from a distance and observed as the bar owner entered a back room. Inching close enough to see and hear and not be detected, Logan peered inside the room.

Inside was smoky, but Logan could clearly see who was waiting for Teller. Chameleon, older and thinner than last seen some years ago, sat at the table, smoking a cigarette and nursing a bottle of Wild Turkey. Teller sat next to Chameleon, laughing as he too took a cigarette from a pack on the table and lit it.

"Have any trouble getting here?" Chameleon asked, curious.

"No," Teller replied, flicking some ashes into the air and missing the ashtray on the table completely. "Not tonight. However, we have some things to discuss."

"I understand that. From what I hear though, Leon is suspecting Xavier though."

"We need to strike low before we get to Xavier though, Chameleon. You know this as well as I do. However, we need to prove our word. Leon Ellis has trusted us long enough, but his patience is wearing thin and he doesn't like that we don't show our hand to those he need to. He is annoyed at what he feels is a lack of progress. We helped to get him his seat in Congress and then to senator. He has the power of some of the mutant community behind him, all because of us. He has humans enough to fire back when there's trouble though. That's our downfall."

"I know this, Phin. What are you getting at?"

"Leon is asking for a kill."

Chameleon had been sipping his Wild Turkey from the bottle and had spit it out when he heard Teller. "What?" he asked. " _What_?"

"Leon is seeing trouble from the school already," Teller explained. "He believes that Xavier has a special force destined to bring him down. Now, he has a deal with Duane Webber, one of his many supporters, to start small and worm his way into this special force."

"Wait, Duane Webber, Shannon's sister's husband?" Chameleon shook his head. "My brother-in-law and those kids' father. What does he want?"

"He believes that Shannon, her sister and their mother are up to something. He wants to strike there."

"Not my children," Chameleon begged.

"No, not yet," Teller confirmed. "However, it might not be long before Leon looks there too."

"Fine, we'll cross that bridge when we do. Ok, so Duane the support makes a deal with Leon the powerful and Leon wants some of the Adams family dead?"

"Right. I wouldn't say that Duane's issues are a matter of pride. After all, he just learned that his family is a bunch of mutants and that Gabrielle allowed the children to use her maiden name as their last name from the start without his knowledge until now. In addition, I heard that poor Duane has to pay up child support for all three children under eighteen. He feels it unfair during the divorce proceedings anyway and, in exchange for the deaths, he would plant a bug at Xavier's."

"What kind of bug are we talking, Phin?"

"Oh, nothing special really. Leon has yet to tell me about it though. I believe it has something to do with making the whole place… _disappear_."

"I think we're thinking the same things, old friend. I don't like it though."

"I would think so." Teller took the bottle of Wild Turkey and sipped. "Chameleon, it's been a long road already and we've burnt bridges behind us. I didn't even know if we were up to par with killing babes."

"The innocent are guilty in their own way," Chameleon replied. "Vietnam taught me that."

"But mutant _children_ without homes? What are we doing now?"

"Preserving ourselves. This will make us vanish into thin air by the time Leon is in charge."

"With enough money? I don't know. I think we're buying time. Leon will be after us too, if he had the chance."

"We thought we could shape him, Phin. That was our fault."

"I know, Chameleon. We judged wrongly."

The two were quiet for a few minutes, Logan noticed. They took turns drinking from the bottle and smoking a cigarette. Soon, Teller broke out the pot and they passed around a bowl for ten minutes more before the two decided that enough was enough and they were stoned. Logan was getting bored anyway, feeling that he had enough information for now, and was about to leave when Teller mentioned to Chameleon that Jay was kicking around the bar and was showing off his new Army uniform.

"So what if he's being a hot shot?" Chameleon asked, coughing. "Besides, isn't he too young to be buying drinks?"

"When has that stopped anyone?" Teller asked, getting up. "You can see him if you like. You can also leave out the back door if it's easier."

Chameleon paused, thinking. "Back door, I would think. I'm not ready."

"Not since that incident, huh?"

"Off of it, Phin. We'll talk another night."

The two then parted, which was when Logan thought was his time to split too. He walked down the hallway and hid behind another door as Teller exited the smoky room. He waited until the bar owner had parted and was lost into the crowds again before leaving. He went back to the counter with empty glasses and upturned pitchers, but did not see Jay. When he turned around, he saw that the whole floor was involved in a fight and Teller was trying to quell it. Right in the center, someone was pounding the living hell out of someone else. Logan did not need to know who it was.

"Dammit," he muttered to himself in annoyance. Getting up, he parted a trail to the center of the floor and pulled Jay right out of the action, taking a few hits in the head in the process. Dragging him sharply by the arm, Logan led Jay out of the bar and into an alleyway just as the police showed up.

Logan knew that Teller normally did not have the cops around except when there was real trouble. To keep out of sight, he pressed himself against Jay before the younger mutant made them both disappear. Logan felt a little lightheaded from the experience, but was appreciative that Jay kept them out of trouble. Already, many mutants and humans were being led into police cruisers and they possibly had little time before they were caught too. Nodding to Jay, the two held onto each other and walked invisible back towards the mansion. When they were out of town and out of sight, the two separated and continued the trek. Jay soon collapsed though, either from the excursion or the drinking. Logan quickly picked him up and threw him over his shoulder, walking the rest of the way to the school.

Quietly through a back door, Logan entered and went upstairs. He opened Jay's bedroom door and deposited him on the bed, finding a towel to put on the floor in case he started throwing up from all the drinking. Satisfied that Jay was settled and sleeping in relative safety, Logan went downstairs, seeing a light on in Xavier's office. Confused that the Professor would be up so late, Logan knocked on the open door. He did not see Xavier, but Hank was inside, organizing some paperwork at the desk. The blue mutant waved Logan in and motioned that the door be closed.

"I heard you come in," Hank began, unsure of how else to put it.

"Yeah, it was a riot," Logan replied, wishing for a cigar just to deal with Hank.

"I would have asked you the obvious, Logan, since I can't read minds."

"Oh, how did it go, you mean? Splendid."

"I see we're very sarcastic tonight. What really went down?"

"Scheming between Teller and Chameleon."

"Nothing new. What were they planning?"

"Teller said that Senator Ellis knew something about the X-Men."

That one statement made Hank froze. "What…what did they have to say about that?"

"It's a special force, they called it," Logan corrected. "Senator Ellis wants to hit us low before coming back up. They named Duane Webber as their middle man."

"Gabrielle's husband and Matthew's father?"

"Yes. He is supplying Ellis and made a deal. They think if they struck the family first, they could move forward."

"When and where, Logan? Who is involved?"

"I don't know. They didn't say who, what and where. It could be tonight or it could be years from now. We don't know. We could do the best we can to protect them, but it's a long shot. It would be suspicious for all of them to take shelter here."

"I agree." Hank stood up. "Anything else?"

"They're thinking of planting something at the school."

That did not surprised Hank. "Any enemy would do something to undermine something as trivial as a school. We're still under the guise as a school for gifted students and that might serve is for the time being."

"But they have both have guilt consciences," Logan admitted. "Chameleon just feels that it's something they need to do versus Teller, who questions it."

"Well, they got themselves into the mess anyway."

"Another thing," Logan announced just as Hank turned around for the dismissal. "Chameleon and Teller mentioned him leaving the farmhouse and not about what had conspired. I was wondering what made Shannon Mitchell throw her husband out and not divorce him."

"That always makes one wonder," Hank observed. "However, it's none of our business."

"But you know," Logan insisted.

"Yes, I do know what happened, Logan. It does not make it right to spread gossip."

"It won't be if this involves saving this school, fuzzball. And if you are to undermine the security of this school again, I'll have no choice but to do my job and kill you."

"If it's threat, Logan, it seems like an empty one. However, I see your position and how curious you are. Very well."

Hank sat back in the desk chair, thinking of how to start the whole story. He didn't want to say it in such a manner that Logan found offensive or in a way he would be in search of Chameleon for a death blow. However, he might not have a choice. The truth was in order. Logan was now investigating Chameleon and Teller. He deserved that much for his enquiry.

"Chameleon was a troubled man, Logan, and one who thought he was doing right by his family," Hank commenced. "However, that long road led to a hell he did not expect. He's a veteran from Vietnam, a dangerous one at that, and one that could not control his demons. He was a doting and loving father, I would say, although he was distant in public and would not give in to Shannon's whims. He said she needed to get over a lot of things, just as he had, but their long arguments would compound into something worse in his mind. He would think enemies were everywhere, even his own children.

"He never raised a hand to Jay until the end of his marriage to Shannon, but one incident stood out in everyone's mind and what made Shannon think that enough was enough. She watched Chameleon day after day without knowing what to do or who to turn to. One day, Chameleon was playing with Danielle. The two would play with her dollhouse and she would pretend to be a princess. Chameleon most certainly treated her like one until that point…when something snapped in his mind while playing an ogre. Suddenly, that little girl was his enemy, the Vietcong from years before. He chased Danielle around the farmhouse and finally trapped her in the basement, beating her senseless with a crowbar."

Logan was speechless. He didn't know what to say. Most certainly, he understood why Jay was protective of Danielle. Anybody would be after that!

"Shannon found them there after hearing the commotion," Hank continued, ignoring Logan's reaction. "Chameleon was standing vigil over Danielle and did not wake from his reverie until he heard the screaming around him. By then, it was almost too late. For the rest of her life, Danielle would be crippled in her left knee. She won't show it, because she uses her powers to control the pain, but she'll always bear that scar."

"Does she remember it?" Logan asked, the only words he could utter.

"I would assume so," Hank replied crispy. "She doesn't talk of Chameleon and gets upset if she hears about him."

Logan stood there for a minute, thinking. If this went on for years, it would be dangerous to stick Danielle right into the middle of the melee, especially if the person who she used to trust was working against her once more. However, she might be the key. Jay was the shield for now, a balm to the denial of a young girl. She might be what they are looking for and be used as either the tool for them or Xavier. It was a huge "what if" situation and one Logan did not like thinking about. However, it might come down to that when she was older.

"That would explain a lot," Logan only remarked, not allowing Hank to read his nonverbal cues.

"I would certainly agree." Hank stood up. "Now, I would assume that, after drinking, spying and evading arrest, you would need some sleep."

Logan did not ask Hank how he knew about the incident at Teller's. At this point, he figured that Hank had his own system and found out that way. However, he did nod in agreement with Hank, leaving the office without a farewell. He went upstairs to his bedroom, locking the door behind him before laying on the bed. So many thoughts ran through his head, all of them worrisome. He did not realize how deep Chameleon had been with Ellis and how he was throwing everyone into danger. Certainly, Xavier would recruit Jay for the X-Men (Roger was hinting at it for a couple of years now) and that would give them all the excuse they needed to move. Logan could not tell what was so feared yet or why Ellis was so interested in this school. However, he needed to find out and soon. A lot of lives depended on it.

One person in particular made it into Logan's mind. He could not fail Danielle. At all costs, he would protect her, even from her father. That was the least of all the things he could do for her anyway.


	12. Not Another Moment to Waste

**March 30, 1989**

It had been another two years since Logan heard of the plan to kill off some members of the Adams and Mitchell families, but nothing had happened and life went on…as normally as it could be anyway. He spent most of his time listening and watching and nothing had come up to tell him the next move. Teller had not advanced in their new friendship except to give him more alcohol and had yet to invite Logan to anything special. However, he still sat at that counter, laughing with Teller and eying the bar with feelings that ranged from amazement to disgust. He not could gauge Teller yet, he was that untrustworthy.

What was the ongoing drama at the time was between Fiona and Jay, which consumed their time. Logan took a backseat as the two battled each other over their feelings and denied each other's companies because of the ongoing public sentiment towards mutants, especially in the wake of the recent events. However, he found it more entertaining that Jay tried his best to stay away and was finding that he couldn't, wooing Fiona in Teller's bar when he could. Apparently, Fiona's father had some stake with Ellis and dealt with Teller often (not knowing he and Chameleon were mutants and thinking that the black diamonds were painted on) and left Fiona to her own devices when he had his meetings. From his position at the counter, Logan watched the now eighteen year old with interest, one who kept her eyes on Jay when he was there and kept intense and aloft with the others. She was a tough cookie, that one, and managed to take flak when it came, no matter what it was.

There was no telling what would happen when Fiona decided to stay with Jay (and Logan knew it was a matter of when, not if). Her father was pleased with her choice of boyfriend for now, Logan saw, but Jay paying more attention to her on his leaves from base disturbed him…and made the two more desperate for each other. The love was in their eyes, Logan noticed, all that lovey-dovey stuff he tried to avoid himself. There would be no stopping them, especially when Jay was involving himself more and more into Teller's bar life when he wasn't on duty. He would sing her songs from the stage without naming her, deliver her roses when she was waiting for her father and risk the wrath of her human boyfriend by blowing her kisses.

One song always caught Logan's attention, especially with the crowd participation. While he sat at the counter drinking (graduating from beer to the top shelf liquor), he listened to Jay sing, all of it to Fiona. He wasn't bad, Logan had to concede, and saw music was slowly seeping into the family.

 _I don't think you're right for him.  
Think of what it might have been,  
If you took a bus to China Town.  
I'd be standing on Canal and Bowery.  
And she'd be standing next to me._

 _One, two three…  
I belong with you,  
You belong with me,  
You're my sweetheart._

 _Let's hope for some  
'Cause oh, we're bleeding out…_

 _I belong with you,  
You belong with me.  
You're my sweetheart_.  
 _I belong with you,  
You belong with me.  
You're my sweet –_

Indeed, it didn't too long for Fiona to find her way to Jay though. Just before April started and spring really kicked in, when Logan decided not to spend time with Teller for a while, feeling that he needed some time to himself, she came.

Logan only wanted to patrol the school property, choosing late night instead of doing the day, so he could avoid Hank and not have kids underfoot. One night, when his cigar supply was plenty, he went to the basketball court for some privacy, choosing to observe from one position instead of walking. As he smoked though, he watched the bushes nearby move and sway, opting to finish up the cigar. The scent wasn't what was normal at the school, but it was familiar and was not a threat. Logan waited a few minutes before going there, moving aside the branches and seeing Fiona crouched down behind them.

Fiona didn't even register that she had been caught. She was very still, watching the school and waiting for something. Logan didn't know what was going on, but he knew that something was terribly wrong. The teenager's stance was askew and her eyes did not even meet Logan's. She was scared witless, unable to think clearly and not moving.

"Hey, kid, what are you doing here?" Logan tried being gruff, but was gentle in his tone. "Aren't you supposed to be at home, sleeping?"

Fiona didn't say anything to Logan still. She only looked up to him, her eyes almost swollen shut and her face a little out of shape. When Logan squinted his eyes a little bit, she saw that the girl had been beaten badly.

"Let's get you inside," Logan then offered, putting out his arm for support. Fiona took it when she realized that she was in good hands, standing up shakily and walking with Logan back inside.

There wasn't any lights on downstairs. Logan searched around to see if Hank or even Xavier was around, but the office was dark and quiet. Nobody was awake, not even the usual insomniacs who spent their time watching late night TV in the living room. Taking on a gamble that Jay was a light sleeper, Logan led Fiona upstairs quietly, knocking on Jay's bedroom door urgently and quickly. While the first knock did not rouse him, the second round did. Logan heard the familiar cursing from Jay as a small light turned on and his heavy footsteps dragged across the floor. He opened the door with very sleepy eyes, not even looking at the pair before him.

"Goddammit, this had better –" Jay started muttering before he opened his eyes and saw Logan and Fiona.

"I –" Logan began.

"Get her inside," Jay insisted, seeing Fiona's face. "I don't want anyone to see this."

Logan obeyed immediately. Jay closed the door behind them and helped Logan lead Fiona to his bed and sat down next to her. While the light had been dim, Fiona still squinted her already closing eyes. However, there were tears that ran down her face. She started talking about her father and boyfriend, but the sobs took over and she was soon in Jay's arms and crying. Even Logan was helpless, standing near them and feeling unsure whether or not he should leave the two alone, especially at a time like this. However, he had a feeling that Fiona was yet another piece of the puzzle. She was here for a reason.

Jay stroked the light brown hair gently as Fiona turned her heavy sobs into childlike sniffles. By then, Logan closed in slowly and sat on the bed with the two, waiting until he was able to finally question Fiona. When she was more coherent and calmer, she pulled away from Jay, but remained in his arms. She was afraid of something, Logan saw, and it didn't just have to do with the beating she received. It was about her father and something he was doing.

Jay got there before Logan though. "What happened?" he asked Fiona in a demanding way.

"My…father," Fiona replied. "He found out about you through…you know, my boyfriend, Chris. The two of them ganged up on me before I went to bed, some hours ago. We got into an argument and when they didn't like my answers, they…they hurt me."

Logan saw that Jay's fists clenched behind Fiona's head. "What was it about?" Jay then inquired.

"It was about you," Fiona admitted in a whisper.

"Me?" Jay was incredulous.

"And mutants in general," Fiona added. "They tried telling me how dangerous you all were and pretended that I was insane, thinking I was under a spell someone put on me. They kept hitting me over…and over again until I admitted that I was wrong. They said that Senator Ellis was our savior and that the preacher and military man William Stryker would bring upon us a new future, but that the mutants would undermine their efforts."

"Not this again." Jay groaned. "Those two would destroy us all. Ever since Apocalypse, humans have been pointing a finger at mutants and the destruction wrecked. The school might have been demolished and rebuilt and many people dead, but it was us who started anew and tried holding a hand out. Ellis makes everything ten times worse, Stryker a thousand times more."

"Stryker is still experimenting on mutants too," Logan reminded them.

"And Ellis using them," Jay added. "This needs to end. I cannot see a single way out though."

"I cannot either." Fiona was miserable. "I ran away from home. I knew it would be the only way I could be safe."

"You came to the right place though." Jay smiled at Fiona, taking her hands into his instead of holding her. "The Professor will never turn you away. Even though you're the only human resident here, he can show that there can still be acceptance."

"And a lot of criticism from other parties," Logan remarked, which made Jay face him.

"We'll work on that as we go." Jay then turned from Logan to Fiona.

"How though?" Fiona asked, confused. "How can we work on relations as we go along?"

"Marry me," Jay announced to Fiona, as serious as he could be.

Even Logan could not speak, watching Fiona's mixed reaction and then seeing her face light up, even through the bruising. The words seemed like a challenge itself, but they also came from a deep well inside of Jay. He loved Fiona so much, that much was certain, and he was trying everything in his power to protect her from those who would harm her. It was enough to have her coming to their door for help. It was time to do something about it.

"W-what?" Fiona asked, unsure of what else to say.

"Marry me," Jay repeated. "You can live with me on the base. Ellis and your father or even that damned idiot boyfriend of yours cannot come in without permission. Even so, a senator needs to plan out things like that. I have friends who would do anything for me, including watching out for someone I love. Besides, there is a base mommy for the women. All of the women get together and protect each other and the children."

"It'll be like a shield?" Fiona asked, almost like a child.

Jay nodded, turning back to Logan to get some support. "Yeah," he reassured Fiona. "Logan will tell you. Bases are very secure. We have things we don't want people to see. National security and all of that. Being with women like you would be a help though. Nobody can get past us and the women without a good fight."

Fiona only had to shake her head and smile. "I don't think I would need Logan to tell me anything. I also don't think I need you to ask me again. Yes. Yes, I will marry you."

~00~

It was a hastily organized wedding and Logan hardly remembered the week leading up to it or even the ceremony itself, it was that much of a blur because the Professor made it that way, working with the base commander on dates and planning. He recalled Jean, Ororo, Jubilee and Danielle getting super excited and helping Fiona for the wedding and serving as her bridesmaids. Scott, Alex, Matthew and Hank helped Jay and stood by him. A town justice of the peace performed the rites in the fields behind the school and the reception was in the large downstairs gym. Shannon had come out of her hospital room to greet her new daughter-in-law and promised release by the weekend and the other immediate family members celebrated this along with the wedding. However, it was Danielle who took it to another level.

In charge of the music (and video recording the wedding too), Logan watched from his position at the door with his drink as Danielle set the songs up and everyone got into their own groove. Finally, when she finally managed to get everyone dancing and switching partners with one song, she ran up to Logan. She didn't say anything for a minute, allowing her ingenuous energy to channel out of her hands in blue and silver waves, and studied Logan.

"Dance with me, Logan," she begged. " _Please_."

"Kid, I –" Logan began.

"Come _on_ ," Danielle then said, pulling Logan by the hand to the dance floor as he dropped his drink to the floor. Carefully in a corner, Danielle set them up, where each hand went, and watched her feet and Logan's as they danced together.

 _It was a hot summer night  
And the beach was burning.  
There was fog crawling over the sand.  
When I listened to your heart,  
I hear the whole world turning.  
I see the shooting stars  
Falling through your trembling hands._

 _While you were licking your lips  
And your lipstick shining,  
And I was dying just to ask for a taste.  
Oh, we were lying together in a silver lining  
By the light of the moon.  
You know, there's not another moment,  
Not another moment,  
Not another moment to waste…_

 _Oh, will you hold me so close  
That my knees grow weak?  
But my soul is flying high above the ground.  
I'm trying to speak but no matter what I do  
I just can't seem to make any sound._

 _And then you took the words  
Right out of my mouth.  
Oh, it must have been  
While you were kissing me.  
You took the words  
Right out of my mouth.  
Oh, and I swear it's true,  
I was just about to say I love you…_

It was such a carefree time. Logan, even dancing with Danielle, had not seen so many people happy at once, even the little girl who now had a sister-in-law. She seemed excited to have a new family member, Logan assumed. She had been smiling and giggling after she heard the news and had been trying her best to win over the scared eighteen year old, who had to wait for her body to stop swelling and her confidence to blossom. Danielle shouldn't have worried, Logan knew. Fiona took a shining to that freckled redhead throughout her recovery, even exchanging partners with Logan and taking on the bouncing kid as Logan took on Jean.

Logan was almost drunk on happiness like everyone else in the gym, if he had to be honest with himself. He shouldn't be, he knew, and tried to be alert as Jean the bridesmaid tried talking to him and directing him to everything else but his job. Whatever the teenager said, Logan ignored. His senses were all around the gym, trying to estimate the time left to them before tragedy struck. He knew it was coming. Indeed, it loomed over them, a Grim Reaper that demanded company for his tea party. It could be anyone mortal, Logan figured. He even thought over to the last two years, finally getting rid of Jean and picking up a sulky Ororo (again, she was talking about trivial things), before running through connections and people. Finally, it hit him.

Teller and Chameleon had mentioned targeting the Adams and Mitchell families. Who it would be was Logan's guess. He was confident that Jay could protect his own, but there was the matter of Matthew and his family. Would they know what was coming? If so, were they prepared for the storm coming?

* * *

 **The song lyrics come from the Lumineers' song "Ho Hey" and Meatloaf's "You Took the Words Out of My Mouth".**


	13. Simple, Convenient and Tragic

_Sheepdog, standing in the rain.  
Bullfrog, doing it again.  
Some kind of happiness is  
Measured out in miles.  
What makes you think  
You're something special  
When you smile?_

 _Childlike, no one understands.  
Jackknife in your sweaty hands.  
Some kind of innocence is  
Measured out in years.  
You don't know what it's like  
To listen to your fears._

 _You can talk to me.  
You can talk to me.  
You can talk to me.  
If you're lonely,  
You can talk to me…_

It was a rainy April so far, especially after the wedding. Everyone had been cooped up inside, annoyed that a little water and mud prevented them from the beginning of their sports season and being freed from the tedium only the school could offer. From around the first floor, Logan had been listening to the music filtering around him, something that calmed him down. He went down the hallway where the music was coming from, leaning into the doorway as he watched Matthew and Danielle do another rendition of a Beatles song. They were laughing the whole time, which made even Logan smile. The two had been getting closer, especially since Jay put Matthew in charge of Danielle when he was away, and since then, the two had been driving everyone insane with their singing.

 _You can talk to me.  
If you're lonely,  
You can talk to me…_

It seemed too childlike, thinking that the world belonged to them and that it was joyous. It even annoyed Logan that someone was calling him from down the hallway in an urgent tone. Hank, desperate to talk to Logan for some reason, ran towards the music room when the older mutant ignored him. Hank tapped on Logan's shoulder, whispering that Xavier needed him in his office _now_. When he went to retort, he thought twice, seeing Hank's downturned face. It was strained, most certainly, and held a secret that even make Logan scared.

"Can you tell me now?" Logan asked Hank gently, thinking twice before punching the blue mutant in the face.

"No," Hank replied, wringing his blue hands. "Mae Ellis and Roger Mortimer would explain it when you get there."

"What are you talking about?" Logan was now confused. "She's the school nurse –"

"And a close friend of the family," Hank finished. That one statement alone made Logan's hair stand on end.

"And Roger Mortimer –"

"Takes the security of this building and its people just as seriously as you do, Logan. Come on. We need to go."

Logan followed Hank to Xavier's office, but turned back to the music room before rounding the corner. Matthew and Danielle were still there, innocent enough still, and laughing as they ended the song. Others had walked into the room after Logan and had joined in on their merriment, laughing as they did and asking for another song. Logan knew in his heart that this one piece of news would strike the both of them hard. He hoped to keep that away from them as long as he could, keeping in mind that picture of Danielle and Matthew, so happy in the moment and for once, so untroubled.

It would haunt Logan for some time to come. That scene, so full of life and fun, would soon bring upon them the stark reality of death.

~00~

It had been too simple of a death, too convenient and tragic as well. Gabrielle Adams, recently divorced from her husband and wanting to spend some time with her sister, mother and daughters, went shopping at the mall during the day. Gabrielle had dropped Shannon off at the farmhouse sometime after seven in the evening and agreed to a movie in town with her mother and daughters. After midnight, when the movie was over, the four of them walked back to the car in the rear parking lot. As they entered the vehicle, a robber came out of nowhere with a gun and demanded money. While all four gave him everything they had, they were still shot and left for dead.

Nobody found the four bodies until the next morning, when a janitor came in for his shift and immediately called the police. In the meantime, life had gone on as normal. While Shannon had found it strange that nobody answered their phones when she tried calling, she went on with her day without thinking about her family except her children. Around eleven-thirty, when she was making lunch and preparing to go to the school to visit Danielle with the food, she received a grave call from the police department in Salem Center. Her sister, as well as her mother and her nieces, had been killed.

Shannon had told the officer on the other line to contact the school nurse, Mae Ellis, before she collapsed in grief. From there, Logan knew that it went from Mae to Roger and to Mae's son Gil (a student at the school) and then it went to Xavier and Hank. Matthew, as well as Danielle and Jay, had yet to be informed by the time Logan got the news. He did thank whoever was up there thought that he was not the one to break the news to anyone. Xavier and Hank took that over when the meeting was over, allowing a teary-eyed Mae and a stern Roger to stay with them when the two younger children as they were told in the office. Xavier then sent word to Jay's base commander to let him know of what happened.

As an outsider, Logan watched the reactions of not just Danielle and Matthew, but everyone, especially in the week afterward. While the April showers did not alleviate anything, they sure matched the mood of everyone in the building, even as they thought of their own demises. Nobody knew what was safe anymore, even though the dangerous myth of Apocalypse still lingered in the minds in those older, particularly Jean, Ororo, Jubilee, Nightcrawler and Scott. If mutants like the Adams family could be hunted down and killed by normal humans, anybody could face the same fate. Even the thick walls of the school might not help them all in the end, when the humans finally picked up the fight and broke the bricks down.

And most certainly, it was a hate crime, no doubt about it. It was already tracked back to one man, who held the valuables given to them by the women, and he confessed that he was hired by Duane Webber, Gabrielle's ex-husband and Matthew's father. He was quickly arrested and his bail was posted the same day, having been rumored to have been paid off by Senator Leon Ellis. Trial dates were set for both men. Nobody in the surviving family had been interested though. All of their energy was on their grief, to hold each other up and to stay strong.

Immediately, Jay and Fiona came back to the mansion and started on the long road towards leading the family forward. The funeral arrangements had been settled between Matthew (almost seventeen and threatened with foster care) and Jay while Mae tended to Shannon in her bed at the farmhouse. Danielle stayed in her room with Ororo and Jean (almost done with their semester at the local college), missing her lessons and in hysterics. Later, Jean had told Logan in private that it seemed to be the first time Danielle was crying in front of anyone and it was strange.

"It's _haunting_ , Logan," Jean explained as she cornered Logan outside in the gardens alone as he smoked a cigar. "She sits and there weeps, but when she does, the room gets very cold. The walls look like they have water dripping down from them and it just cascades down."

"Did you tell the Professor?" Logan was alarmed.

"I did," Jean admitted, "and, although he's pretty powerful himself, he could not get through. I tried calming her myself. She has a defense mechanism nobody can break through. I think the only person who can is Jay and he's not here."

"And he's busy on his own." Logan groaned. "Would you like me to try?"

"I think time would be on their side this time," Jean pointed out, giving a negative answer in the kindest way she could. "Everyone is so upset. I cannot blame them, considering the events that led to the murders. It's absurd to think one would kill in the name of being superior."

Logan nodded. "When is the funeral?"

"Tomorrow, I think," Jean confirmed. "Storm, Scott, Jubilee, Nightcrawler and I are going. So is the Professor, Hank, Ms. Ellis, Roger and Alex. You aren't thinking of coming too, are you?"

Logan had not thought about it. He supposed he should to show some support to the family, but he also felt partially responsible for the incident. He conveyed his feelings after the wedding to Xavier and they had been discussed with Hank. They had no time to enact their plans though, to bring the whole family to the mansion for protection and inform them of the troubles going on at Teller's bar. By the time Xavier thought of it, it was too late and arrangements for burial were being made.

 _We were much, much too late…_

"Yeah…yeah, I think I should," Logan said, nodding as his mind shook away from the memories. "I think I'll come."

~00~

The funeral was held at Saint Catherine's Catholic Church in Salem Center and the burial was in the cemetery right next door, past the parking lot. It wasn't much of a funeral, but all the people who mattered were there. Logan sat in the back of the church, uncomfortable with being where he was and trying his hardest to stick it out without walking out on the hypocrisy. He watched the mass passively, his mind wondering to other places as his eyes rested on the four coffins, two adults and two children. He then woke up from his reverie, peering to the front pews and seeing the family. While the school faculty and students had been seated on the front left side, the family was on the right.

Logan did not care about the school inhabitants showing up. He was more interested in the family, especially Danielle, who he had not seen since the day the news came out. He then wondered how horrible it was to be thrust into all of this, to know that your grandmother, aunt and cousins had been slaughtered in the name of hate. She did look the part of the tragic figure though, sitting between her mother and Fiona in a black dress. Logan could only see the back of Danielle's head, but he knew that she was avoiding the tears again by the way her head stayed stiff, unwavering in her belief to remain calm.

 _Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me._

After almost two hours later, the mass was over. Logan waited until the coffins had been led out and then the family. First, it was Shannon held up by Mae Ellis, Roger Mortimer and her son Gil, a high collar hiding his mutation. Behind them were Matthew, Jay, Fiona and Danielle. Then, it was the school staff and students. Just as Logan saw the last of the line of students, he joined in and took a few roses from the ushers, following the line to the cemetery next door. Into the rain, through the parking lot and down the hill, the group crowded around the bodies of the deceased with respect. Cemetery workers soon came by, picking up the coffins from the pall bearers and depositing them into the ground.

Just as Shannon started wailing and Mae tried comforting her, the priest intoned the last of the funeral rite and it ended. One by one, everyone threw a rose into each of the holes and gave condolences to the family nearby, although most had been embarrassed by Shannon's crying. Logan somehow wormed his way towards Xavier and Hank after a path was made in the line for him, copying their lead and echoing the same words. It didn't feel right coming from him though, but it was polite to say the same words, over and over again.

When Logan reached Danielle next to Jay and Fiona at the end, he had nothing left to say. He wiped the stray red strand out of her face and his fingers lingered there for a few seconds more than they should have. He smiled weakly, allowing Danielle permission to speak into his mind. He knew that she had something to say. It just could not be said within the circle right now.

 _Go see Teller._

Logan did not know how Danielle figured out who Phineas Teller was (surely from Jay or some sort of gossip), but he was sure to obey anyway. Nodding again, he left the group, exiting the cemetery without delay (and ignoring Hank calling out to him) and taking the long, rainy walk back into the town. It was a Saturday and he was sure that Teller's bar wasn't going to be open until eight at night. That did not matter to Logan though. What did was getting the truth out of the bar owner.

As usual, the bar was closed and the doors were locked shut against visitors until the appointed time. Logan knew that Teller was either in the bar itself or in the apartment above. Wasting no time, he unleashed his claws and used one to fiddle with the lock. Although easier to probably smash it to pieces, Logan felt like being nice to the bar owner and not having to owe him another lock. He heard enough from Teller to know that money was a priority with him.

When the door was opened and the lock was tossed aside, Logan entered with claws retracted, feeling almost strange to be in a once lively place that was now as dark and dank as a tombs he left behind. Walking inside, he called out for Teller, his tone threatening and cold. He smelled the bar owner nearby. He didn't expect Teller to be stupid and to try and kill him though. He expected Teller to be surrounded by people on all sides, to make sure that Logan did not kill _him_.

As anticipated, Teller was there at the counter, cleaning the glasses and readying everything for the night. Logan smelled another presence nearby and chalked it up to Chameleon. Snake Eyes was visible and down the wall with a weapon, but Logan could not tell what it was since it was concealed. Another, a kid who worked the DJ station and organized the shows (Logan thought his name was Vinnie Paul or something like that), was near the tables, pretending to clean too. All and all, a bunch of easy targets if Logan wanted to try, but he wasn't going to complain. He just wanted answers.

Without missing a beat, Logan walked up the counter and sat down. He normally ordered by then, but somehow did not feel sarcastic enough to do it, since it seemed too early and very inappropriate to drink, especially on a day like this. He only looked Teller straight into his eyes, thinking of that family in black at the cemetery, and grinned, itching to ask his question. It was a hard thing to do, since all Logan felt like doing was beating Teller's brains in, but being nice would do for now.

As Teller continued to move on, Logan tapped the counter with his fingernails, itching in his black suit. "Why?" he finally asked, soon clenching his fist. "Why did you do it?"

Finally, Teller paid some attention to Logan, feeling the inquiry fair. He put the rag down that he was using to clean and returned Logan's glance, one elbow leaning into the smooth space. It wasn't full of malice or scorn, but remorse and regret. Teller was guilty of everything he did and more and was feeling his conscience sneak up on him and tap him on the shoulder. That calmed Logan down little, but it still was not enough to want to kill Teller.

"It was us or them, Wolverine," Teller explained, his voice oddly thick and his face full of tears. "Once we get into something we thought would be for the better, there is no turning back, no regrets and no qualms. You do what you're told and never ask questions, hoping that the monster would never turn to you in spite. I do hope this would not lead into anything after this horrible week…hell, I wish this would end soon…but this isn't my choice anymore. The one person who holds it all in his hands would kill us all if he could…and never blink an eyelash, just as he ordered this killing. He has no integrity, Logan. That would be his downfall."

* * *

 **Lyrics are from the Beatles' song, "Hey, Bulldog". The biblical verse on the last part of the chapter was from the Book of Psalms 23:4.**


	14. Dual Power Drain

**May 19, 2023**

With a jump, Logan realized that he was back in the future and hearing someone knocking outside. He shook his head loose of the healing headache and looked to Danielle for some guidance. However, he had to make a dart for her, seeing that she collapsed and was almost off the bed, twitching. He grabbed her quickly and held her, noting how white she was and how the sweat rolled off of her body thickly. Her eyes flickered open after the jerking receded, feeling more coherent as Logan wrapped his arms around her and stilled her.

The knocking continued though. "Celeste," Danielle whispered before she fully opened her eyes. "She's late though."

"What do you mean, she's late?" Logan asked, bewildered.

"She and Daken have their daily spat. She usually comes in the morning."

"Who does she appeal to?"

Danielle opened her eyes and then looked at Logan. "Who do you think?"

"Are you serious?" Logan groaned. "Can't she come another time?"

"Maybe," Danielle replied, her voice regaining some strength. She tried sitting up and steadied her spinning head, although she allowed Logan to continue to hold her. "You can tell her to go away for now. It should be almost lunchtime anyway."

"Fine." Sighing, Logan turned to the door. "Celeste, can't this wait?!" he yelled, hoping the teenager would go away, even if it was for a few minutes.

"Daddy, can't Daken stop being who he is?" Celeste yelled back, sounding as obnoxious and stubborn as Logan remembered her to be. He even saw swirls of black and red energy seep under the door, displaying her annoyance.

"Your mother isn't feeling well," Logan replied back, just as irritated and his tone firm. "Wait until after lunch."

Danielle had to chuckle, especially after they both heard Celeste stomp away. Logan could feel the energy from his daughter still lingering, but it soon dissipated with its owner. He then looked back to Danielle. She was still trying to concentrate on the here and now, her headache worse from the excursion and her eyes blinking and then ringing with past and present. Shuddering out her own sigh, she smiled, trying her best to appear as normal as she could to Logan. She readied herself for questions, sure that Logan would have a few.

"I bet you're anticipating something more," Danielle started. "I felt that talking with Teller was the best place to stop for now."

"It just makes me wonder why you skipped years," Logan replied, still unwilling to let Danielle go. "Seems like things were about the same for a while and then something important happened and it was short, like in patches."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"So, what happened in-between all of those years?"

Danielle laughed. "I knew it was coming! Ok, you're right. I didn't show everything. There were reasons. I mean, daily things happened. You went about your day and so did I. Jean and Storm were moving on with their lives and starting to stick to the only home they had truly known. Jay did the same, trying to find his footing in a place that didn't accept him before coming home. Well, you were interested in watching us all back then, before Jay got on your nerves. I just don't know what drew you in closer though."

"You, I'm guessing." Now, it was Logan's turn to laugh.

"I still don't know why. I wasn't anything special."

"People seemed to love you, like they did where I came from, and would have done anything to keep it that way, even from those who cared from the outside," Logan explained. "You were so secretive and protective of yourself that I didn't truly know you until after I found myself. I see you haven't changed. You trust few and speak less."

"Music was, and always will be, my comfort, Logan. People were second place in my heart. I'm sure I was the same way in your other world."

Logan nodded, his laughter gone.

"Well, I guess some things don't change," Danielle continued, releasing herself from Logan and feeling stable, for them most part. "I'm surprised I even allowed myself to see my mother. After all of these years, I am still angry with her, something I guess I will carry for the rest of my life."

"She's gone, I take it?"

"Yes, since I was eighteen. After Jay was…well, captured and I was married off, she killed herself. Mae, Roger, Gil and I found her in her bedroom. Leon did not care. He thought her a nuisance anyway."

The way Danielle told the story was painful in many ways and it hit the heart hard. Logan remembered that the situation was similar from before, albeit slightly different. He recalled that, before he came into this new future, Danielle had lost her brother to her husband and her mother killed herself in an assisted living home two months after her wedding to Leon Ellis. Danielle and Mae had found the body hanging from the ceiling. Danielle had hardly talked of the incident since, citing the same reasons as now. She was angry in many ways, abandoned when she needed the help and feeling the adult when she was a child.

Logan too Danielle's hands into his, feeling the same pain. "I know how that feels and I'm sorry."

"I know." Danielle was quiet for a minute, eager to change the topic. "Why don't we head down to lunch now? I'm sure everyone is gathering now."

Logan agreed, letting go and watching Danielle carefully as she climbed off the bed. The two then linked their arms, opening the bedroom door and exiting. The hallway seemed clear and quiet, which was a relief. It was a quick walk to the faculty room downstairs. Indeed, it was already crowded and not everyone was present yet. Bobby, Rogue, Kitty and Peter talked quietly in one corner. Ororo and Jean saw and greeted Danielle and Logan, their faces seeming bored from the lack of things to do on the weekend. Scott, Hank, Xavier, Jay and Fiona were nowhere in sight.

It was trivial talk between the four of them, Danielle knew. However, she and Jean soon drifted into their own corner as Ororo and Logan chatted about their classes. Jean made sure that nobody was going to listen to them and made that obvious to Danielle. She felt cornered herself, with Jean in front of her and being so protective of their secrets.

Jean looked at Danielle severely though. "Jay was complaining at me earlier," she started. "He had to come downstairs."

"What _now_?" Danielle sighed.

"You're pulling a lot more energy than you normally do," Jean explained. "He felt you doing something major for four hours, but not what it was. He couldn't even get in to see what was going on."

"You know what I was doing, Jean." Danielle glanced left and right, still not seeing her brother. "This is important. Logan needs to play catch-up or he'll be lost. Jay doesn't need to be so nosy."

"At what cost though? Jay is getting sick from this and so are you. Have you looked at yourself in the mirror recently? You're as pale as a ghost."

"And?"

"What happened when you came back to the future?"

"Logan had a headache that went away."

"No, I mean _you_. How did you feel?"

Jean saw the funny look that passed through Danielle's face. "I don't know," Danielle admitted. "I felt faint. Really weak, like my blood sugar had dropped and I wanted to either eat or sleep. I kept flipping between past and present, like I was seeing it before my eyes. It took a few minutes to shake it off."

"Sweaty too?"

"Yeah, I was." Danielle shook her head. "I need to keep going though, Jean. This is Logan we're talking about, for Christ's sake. I can't leave him in the dark."

"You also can't keep doing this to yourself and Jay," Jean urged. "At least _tell_ him what's going on. I think he'll understand. He's not going to be helping you if he doesn't know what you're up to."

"But that is one more person who's in on the secret," Danielle pointed out. "What's going on happen when everyone in the school is part of it?"

"Jay would probably understand more than you think."

"He and Logan don't like each other much."

"Logan doesn't get along with too many people, Danielle. A lot of people also don't understand what he went through and why. Logan would understand self-sacrifice, but I don't think he'll want you to kill yourself and Jay."

"We know what we would need to do in case one of us dies, Jean. We can live apart and without each other."

"This might break the _both_ of you before one of you has the chance to transfer the powers to the other, which is why I'm saying something." Jean sighed in frustration. "You're going through with this and I can't see a way I can persuade you otherwise. However, if you're going to continue, tell Jay…or I'll bring more people into the circle."

"Scott?"

"Right. And you know that anything about Logan he'd tell anyone else about."

"You and Storm promised to keep this quiet."

"I can't when it might involve your life and Jay's. Tell your brother, Danielle. It might mean everything to him."

Danielle could not argue Jean's point, since she shared powers with Jay and was infringing upon his side of the powers. She was also loathe to talk to Jay about the situation with Logan though, considering everything. He was bound to be an asshole about it, not supply her with more energy and make her suffer. After all, even though the years brought Logan and Jay together for many common causes, they butted heads and have even fought violently. If Jay found out about the whole time traveling issue and trying to show the memories, he might file it under the "Shit out of Luck" category.

"I'll try," Danielle finally promised. "Nobody else needs to know though. I'm even trying to keep it from Fiona."

Jean shrugged her shoulders, seeing that the rest of the party entered the room. "That's up to you. I would get this done as soon as possible though. Before the end of this weekend, I hope."

"You're giving me until Monday?'

"Yes, I am. I'll ask him too."

"Oohh, treating me like a child. I see how it is."

To mask their serious conversation, Jean and Danielle laughed. Nobody had paid much attention to them anyway, although Xavier eyed them with suspicion briefly as he entered the room with Hank, Jay, Fiona and Scott. When the two were together, there was either trouble or a plan. Danielle and Jean appeared in every way to be innocent to avoid the trouble of speculation, separating in different parts of the room. Danielle went back to Logan and Jean went to Scott. In seconds, Xavier called a start to the luncheon and the younger teachers went to grab the food from the kitchen to pass around. Everyone sat down and started serving themselves, chatting and laughing.

Logan felt like a fish out of water, even though he was with people he was comfortable with, Danielle most of all. Although Scott had been shooting him dirty looks for a few minutes (about who knew what), he ignored it, listening to the conversations most of all. Danielle and Kitty had been debating on adding in art classes, even though the country was trying to phase out paper and pencil products, saying that it was better for the environment. Bobby and Peter were thinking out lesson plans, even though Rogue complained that they had everything prepared until the end of the school year anyway and they didn't need to change things. Hank was thinking out loud some of his summer plans, including taking the younger children out camping in the woods and teaching survival techniques. Scott was voicing his opinion again to Xavier about the advanced placement classes, something that piqued at Logan, especially since Scott was proposing that they stick with what they had.

It was tempting to counter Scott. Logan, trained instinctively to be against Scott for the most part, had always argued with that arrogant son of a bitch, no matter what it was about. He remembered doing it just because it irritated Scott that he was going against orders or because Scott hated it. Logan even liked stealing Scott's motorcycle most of all, riding to and from Canada a few times that way. However, that was in a time and place so far away from him and in a world these people did not live. Most people in the room, by the time the remaining X-Men stood in the monastery in China in February 2023, were either dead, missing or in dread.

Danielle put a warning hand on Logan's knee under the table. "Don't," she whispered, smiling and laughing as Kitty cracked a joke to the left.

Logan saw that Xavier did listen to Scott though, his ears pinpointed on the new reasons, and smiled. "I'll think about, Scott," Xavier finalized. "I'd like to hear what Logan has to say about it and I'll decide. Logan?"

"Huh?" Logan looked at Xavier, unaware that the subject had turned to his opinion. "Oh, umm, can we talk about this in your office later?"

"Probably wants a peaceful lunch," Ororo remarked before Scott could say anything. "I can understand that. It'll be a big step for us."

"I believe so too," Jean added, which earned her a glance from Scott.

"Regardless, I think it's a good idea," Rogue put out there. "About this art class idea though. Are there any alternative materials we can use instead of the usual pen and paper, like it used to be? I know they're phasing out books and they're still existing, even in this technological stage…"

The discussion went on there from. Logan shot Rogue a grateful gaze and went back to his lunch. After a few minutes of listening to it though, he had enough. He patiently waited as much as he could until Danielle was finished, taking her hand and excusing themselves. The two headed out the door, Logan relieved that one meeting was over. He still had two days to play catch-up or plan to be sick for the next week doing so. He headed to the library with Danielle, the only place he knew to be alone, and stopped by the doorway, kissing her on the forehead when he knew nobody was nearby.

"Mind if I read a little?" Logan asked.

"If that'll help," Danielle replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I have some other things to take care of."

Logan grinned. "I knew you'd say that."


	15. Keeping More Secrets

_When my fist clenches, crack it open  
Before I use it and lose my cool.  
When I smile, tell me some bad news  
Before I laugh and act like a fool._

 _And if I swallow anything evil,  
Put your finger down my throat.  
And if I shiver, please give me a blanket.  
Keep me warm, let me wear your coat…_

 _No one knows what it's like  
To be the bad man, to be the sad man,  
Behind blue eyes…_

In the dark, Danielle sat on the bed in her bedroom, her back to the door and music playing softly in the background. A bottle of Jack Daniels laid hidden under her pillow, but her glass was emptied and her mind was in shambles. She didn't feel she was finished with the bottle yet. Even so, she had never gotten over drinking to make herself feel better. It was the first real day Logan had been on his own and he did well, even as he still researched in the library (Danielle even thought that Logan escaped outside to smoke a while ago though). However, she still had yet to tell Jay about it.

It wasn't that Danielle didn't want to now. She did, in her own way, after Jean talked with her. It was a matter of time and patience. Did she really want to deal with Jay the Asshole or Jay the Nice Brother? She couldn't tell how he was at lunch. He was pale like she was, that much was certain, and he and Fiona stayed so quiet that even Hank asked them later, towards dinnertime, how they were. After Logan ran off to catch up on history from 1973 onward to bluff through his history classes, Danielle decided that Jay needed time to himself and so did she. After settling Daken and Celeste's argument of the day (personal space and belongings again), she went into seclusion and dug for her secret bottle of alcohol, one that she never shared with anyone.

It had been some hours since then though, time in which brought the younger kids to bed, the older kids with their nightly messages and the life of the school to a close for now. Danielle watched the moon and stars come out brighter, twinkling and shiny. She got up from the bed with shaking legs and walked to the window, watching the night skies. She leaned against the window frame with her arms folded across her chest, content with the peaceful scene. It was maybe one in the morning and it seemed to be the quietest time at the school…well, to Danielle anyway. She loved how the crickets chirped their songs in the tall grass and the water from the pools splashed gently against their stone walls nearby.

Someone soon slipped in through the door, turning the music off. Danielle knew it wasn't Logan. She turned around and faced Jay, his pale profile lit by the moonlight filtering through the window.

"I smelled alcohol," Jay plainly stated, shrugging his shoulders as he closed the door.

Defeated, Danielle sighed and went to the bed, pulling out the bottle. "I hate it when you do this to me."

Jay took the bottle and the empty glass from the bed. He undid the cap and poured, drinking it quickly before having a second glass. He went for a third before recapping the bottle and putting it back in its hiding spot. He even handed the glass back to Danielle, who appeared in every way to be disgusted and annoyed at the same time.

"You didn't need to do that," Danielle declared, tossing the glass onto the bed. "You can't just barge in here, demanding and then taking my JD."

"I see no argument from you otherwise," Jay pointed out, smiling. "Besides, I think we have some things to talk about, before my wife finds me out of bed."

"Like what?" Danielle put her hands on her hips, something that made Jay laugh.

"Seriously, little sister? Gonna try and keep secrets from me again?"

"Stop calling me that. I am not little and haven't been in years."

"You may not be little anymore, even if you are to me, but you're still keeping secrets from me, especially ones that bother me. What happened today, Danielle? You and Logan have been secluded for hours in here and then he's been reading in the library. He researches for his classes, I'll give him credit for that. But for _hours_ and without wanting to be bothered? Something's up."

"In this school, there's always an issue to be resolved. It's a soap opera, Jay. It never ends."

"Tell me about it! Now, you gonna say something or am I extracting this the hard way?"

Danielle stood up behind the bed and felt her fists clench at her sides. To relax, she allowed them to dangle at her side instead of on her lips. Suddenly, she felt the cares of the day weigh her down, like her problems had been keeping her chained this whole time. This was her chance to tell Jay the truth, the chance practically given to her on a silver platter. It was too easy to Danielle, to have Jay come at this hour when he knew that she was alone. It would also be the right thing to do.

"You know, you make my life a living hell sometimes," Danielle said, sighing. "I'll admit, there's something wrong. I need you to keep this quiet though because it's…well, weird, if I had to describe it."

"Logan, right?" Jay asked, hitting the target quickly.

"Yeah," Danielle admitted, "it is about Logan. Would you believe me if I said his consciousness came from a different kind of future than we have now? That he traveled back in time to change things and then woke up here?"

Jay didn't say anything for a minute. "Wait… _what_?" he questioned, confused.

"Don't you think it would be easier if you reviewed the last few days I've had?" Danielle found it easier sometimes to allow Jay to peek into her mind, but saw that he shook his head negatively.

"I don't think it would be necessary," Jay said. "It makes perfect sense. It just means that the mind he has now, and the memories with it, have been erased, from a certain point until now."

"I've got the year 1973," Danielle offered.

"And something made him forget everything from some specific point in 1973, when he was the consciousness from the other future, like something drastic," Jay theorized. "It makes some sense. And you've been trying your damnest to make sure he can pass muster. Am I right?"

Danielle nodded. "I can't let him go out there unprepared, Jay. He needs to get to know us again. His future, the one he came from…I don't believe that it was as pretty as it is now. He worked so hard for something to change and came here, setting off a chain of events that bring us to this moment, this ripple in the water."

"What else did you plan on doing with Logan?"

"Other than an overload of memories? I don't know, Jay. Lots of things that require him to realize where he is and _maybe_ get him to remember me…remember _us_. Remember something!"

"And in the meantime, you get drunk and listen to music while you think about it?"

"I am _not_ drunk! I am just a bit buzzed."

"Same difference, Danielle. Besides, you didn't answer my question. What else are you planning on doing with Logan?"

Danielle sat on the bed again and faced Jay, pouring herself another glass and drinking. "If I can find the point where he stopped remembering where he came from and did a slingshot there, I think I can link him and open up the memories for himself to remember versus seeing it. Just before the consciousness woke up yesterday, Logan was in 1973, doing something…but _what_?"

"The Professor won't say, you know." Jay was serious. "What was commonly told was that Logan appeared at the school just before it reopened and he's been staying on since. He's disappeared on and off. When you were a kid, he just…you know, came about and stayed on one focus. Luckily, he's resisted temptation with a lot of things and didn't go looking for gods and destruction when many have."

"You can't blame people for wanting to be near Apocalypse," Danielle argued, tired of this particular point.

"Not just him, but other cults as well," Jay replied with frustration. "Logan has his own following though, one of a loner, and he's the only one in the club. You might not be able to reach him this time."

"Listen, are you with me or against me?" Danielle demanded, tired of everything running in circles. "You want to do this myself or you want to help me? I am _not_ getting into discussions with you about the past and what we should have and could have done."

Jay had to consider the words for a minute. Throughout the conversation, all he wanted to see was what was going on and why. Now that he had his answer, he was loathe to tell his sister that he wouldn't help her, since he has bias and wouldn't lift a finger for Logan if he had to. After so many years of snide comments and fights, all Danielle wanted was some peace, especially from the people she loved the most. Jay's opinion of Logan wasn't going to change though and that was that. He was a scoundrel, a man who stole his sister's heart from the start and wouldn't let go, even when she had to. He pushed Danielle in directions Jay did not want her to go to (neither did Roger) and that made her different than what Jay expected. However, Jay always saw how much Danielle loved Logan, from the time she was a teenager onward. He could not tell if it was love when she was younger than that, but he was sure that it had been at least a warm and lasting friendship, from the beginning to now.

In Danielle's eyes was a wish. She wanted Logan to understand their world and to get to the bottom of the mystery that's been bothering her since the day before. Normally, Jay was prone to ignoring everything Danielle wanted, similar to crazy whims like this that included Logan and his problems. However, this seemed pretty important to her, more than anything else at the moment, excluding the kids. In retrospect, Logan waking up and recalling a different world could have catastrophic consequences and ones that Jay did not want to deal with. Now, he had no choice but to give in to Danielle's doe eyes.

"What do you need?" Jay finally asked in defeat, unsure of what he was getting into.

"Time and patience," Danielle replied, smiling broadly. "Just give me energy when you can and keep it a secret."

"How many other people know?"

"Too many. Now, can you keep this from Fiona?"

"Just as long as you don't pull the same shit later on that you did earlier, I'll be ok. I might not be able to keep it up for long though."

"If you cooperate, it won't be such an issue. You're a baby anyway, so I expect it out of you."

"Yeah, an overgrown fifty-four year old baby. I get it."

Jay then sat on the bed with Danielle. He took the glass from her and pulled out the bottle again, pouring about half into her glass and leaving the rest in there. He handed Danielle the glass and held the bottle up in a toast. She clicked her glass against it, drinking as if it were a shot. Jay did the same with the bottle, staring at his sister. He had many questions of his own, like why she wouldn't share many things in the first damned place (one of them being the alcohol), but there were always reasons to keep secrets like that. Another was timing, which they would work on later anyway.

"So, when you planning on draining me some more?" Jay asked jokingly, taking another sip.

"How's tomorrow morning sound?" Danielle asked.

"Well, Fiona is visiting her parents with Jax tomorrow," Jay said. "I opted out of seeing the in-laws. Still don't like me and Jax being mutants and all, but they can't deny their only grandson. Thank God Jax was just smart enough to keep it to himself. He picks his battles better than I can."

Danielle took another sip too. "Yeah…I guess we can thank God for that."

~00~

Sunday morning was about the same as the day before. Even though she had little sleep, Danielle still woke up, albeit with the same buzz to her head from some hours before. She shook it away in seconds, rolling over to Logan's side and shaking him awake. Although unsure of how to proceed, Danielle did it the same thing she always had except for when she felt promiscuous (shaking his shoulders, kiss to the cheek and ruffling his hair), getting the same results as before. When Logan awoke and sat up and saw Danielle, he studied her for a few seconds before kissing her and laying back in bed.

"So, what are we doing today?" he asked Danielle, stretching his limbs and cracking his neck.

"Want to continue the story?" Danielle wrung her hands. "I mean, we can take a walk around the gardens today. I can help you with some student papers. Tomorrow, there are no classes, since the Professor wants a meeting, but –"

Logan held his hand up for silence. "I want to get on with it. Are you sure you're going to be ok though?"

"Yes," Danielle confirmed confidently, getting out of bed and stretching too before climbing back in. "Now, you want breakfast in bed first, meet the kids or locking this door and getting down to business?"

Logan grinned. "I'll let you decide."

Danielle reached over and wiped some loose hair off of Logan's face. "I think we'll just lock this door and pretend we want to be alone."

"Sounds good to me." Logan sat up and allowed Danielle back into his mind, picking up where they left off.

* * *

 **Above lyrics are from the Who's "Behind Blue Eyes" from the album _Who's Next?_**

 **Speaking of which...who saw the Comic-Con trailer for _X-Men: Apocalypse_? This person did! I know it's on youtube and it's backwards and everything, but I thought it was awesome. Check it out if you can, before it's taken off the web.**


	16. Once Upon a Time

**August 2, 1990**

The year had passed relatively quickly. After the funeral of members of the Adams family, the biggest drama had been the fight for custody for Matthew. By the time it was over though, he was eighteen and had chosen to stay at the school and be away from his father, forwarding his life through college classes and working at being a teacher for the school that gave him shelter. The man who murdered his family was put behind bars and the conspiracy theory in shambles. There would be no justice because of Leon Ellis' hand, but that had been nothing new. He was moving more and more forward these days and it wasn't just because he was being ambitious.

That had not been on the minds of the people gathered at the farmhouse at the late summer night though. As Logan stood at the top of the first hill, looking out into the vast, empty space before him, he thought of the happy occasion that brought everyone together. Jay and Fiona had welcomed their first child, Jackson Zachary Mitchell (nicknamed Jax), about a week before. Although they had been living at the base, they decided to bring the baby home so that the family could meet him and they could invite friends and family over to celebrate.

Logan had been invited by Danielle at the last minute. She had to beg and cajole her brother and mother, but she got her way in the end and was even bragging about it to Logan when she had the chance to tell him. It was a relief actually, he had decided. He was far away from Teller and the school, in an atmosphere where he was welcomed by at least one person, and he could easily slip away, without much notice from anyone. Besides, he wasn't about the cute newborns and the new parents anyway. He liked the drinking being offered so much better.

"Logan!"

Turning around, Logan saw Danielle running up the hill. Nearly eleven and looking like she was almost eighteen (about his height now, freckled and a beauty in every way), she didn't appear tired when she stopped to Logan's right. She even peered over the hill with him, producing an unopened beer out of her pocket and handing it over. Logan was touched. She even picked up a brand that Logan liked. When Logan fumbled for something to open the bottle, Danielle even produced a bottle opener.

"Thanks, kid," Logan said, using it and handing it back to Danielle.

"Want to know something else?" Danielle asked, her voice full of mischief.

"Yeah, what's that?"

"Got a box of cigars for you, but I put it in a hiding spot out in the woods so nobody could get it. Want to join me?"

Logan had to think about it for a minute. "Wait…you _hid_ a box of cigars for me?"

"Yeah," Danielle replied, a grin on her face. "I earned some allowance money from Mom and had to persuade Fiona to buy them for me."

"Your sister-in-law is a pretty busy person right now."

"No, it was before the baby was born." Danielle frowned. "I wasn't _that_ mean."

"I would assume so. You gonna lead me there or what? I just hope they're not stale by now."

That turned Danielle right back into the giddy child again. Smiling, she started down the almost hidden pathway into the open fields. Logan did not see much to the property on the way there, perhaps thinking them potato fields at some point, and soon passed a pond with some deer on the left and a huge rock on the right. They passed all of that and went into the woods. There, Danielle hooked a left-hand turn and went down a trail that Logan almost missed. It was tough and it took some time, but they managed, passing creeks, steep hills, gopher holes and even the occasional human child-sized spider web. Before Logan knew it, Danielle was climbing up a ladder on a tree and crawled into a small house sitting on its large, thick branches. The next thing he knew, she screamed something he couldn't understand and jumped down, her energy heavy on the way down.

Even under the oppression of that energy, Logan managed to catch Danielle and the box of cigars while keeping his beer at the same time. Although the plastic wrapping of the box was a little wet, it was still sealed and unopened. Danielle squirmed out of Logan's grip and left him the box.

"You gonna stick around now?" Danielle asked him.

"Huh? What are ya talking about, kid?" Logan undid the wrapping and pocketed it, opening the box and taking a cigar out. He then found a pocket to hold his beer. "No, I haven't thought of leaving in some years now."

"I've heard rumors."

"I've also heard the most amazing things about me that way."

"They say war is coming…that you've been in most of them."

"I'm done with war. I'm in this country illegally last I heard and they won't draft me now."

"The draft is just as illegal as you being here."

"Whatever." Logan put the cigar in his mouth and lit it. Exhaling, he added, "Listen, kid, I've seen too much war and am done with it. Whatever they have on me, they can't use against me."

"You mean, they can't find you."

"Exactly." Logan continued smoking. "The Professor put up a smoke screen so they won't find me again."

Soon, soft music drifted their way. Danielle shifted around uncomfortably, kicking some dirt around with her bare feet. Logan noticed it and offered to get walking back, putting his cigar out by the bottom of the tree with a dirty look from Danielle. She nodded agreement without complaining, leading the way. As they emerged out of the woods though, they saw Jay at the entranceway. In uniform and appearing to be ready to a single man search party, he seemed relieved to see Danielle. He scowled when he saw Logan though, turning to his sister instead to berate her.

"What do you think you were doing?" Jay asked Danielle in a condescending tone. "You can be running off at a time like that."

"Why not?" Danielle challenged.

"For one thing, you can't run around barefoot with so many critters wanting to bite you. Second, you told nobody where you were going. Third –"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Mom's worried." Danielle scowled herself. "Can't I be alone for a little while to show Logan something?"

"Showing Logan something meant you were missing for over forty-five minutes." Jay sighed. "Look, I don't have time to argue. Let's go."

The two soon followed Jay through the fields. Danielle moped behind him, feeling as if she was caught in an act too horrendous to contemplate. On the other hand, Logan could understand it. He was a mutant over a hundred years old (one hundred and fifty-eight, last he calculated) and here was a little girl who seemed to be eighteen, but was truly eleven. He had a feeling that Jay did not trust him, afraid that he was taking advantage of his sister's naïve nature. Logan had no problem telling him otherwise. He also would not admit that he was slowly falling under her charms. He wasn't in love, that was for sure, but he was still feeling like he was under Danielle's thumb.

Hell, he just followed the girl into the woods for a box of cigars! Logan clenched those tightly, conveniently hiding them under a chair he intended to sit at upon returning to the house. Around him though, a party was truly underway. Fiona was showing off the baby at every opportunity to a long line of people, her face so pale and her body shaking. When Jay showed up next to her though, she lit up like Logan never seen before, her talk and gestures very animated with him by her side. Danielle did not join them, being tagged by her mother and dragged away for a private talk. While the two seemed to be in a corner behind the garage and in a heated discussion, Logan did not bother listening. He studied the group that came instead, interested that it was easy to invite Jean, Ororo, Scott, Mae, Roger, Hank and Xavier, but difficult for him to come along.

Matthew soon settled next to Logan. While Logan took out another cigar to smoke and put his beer in the drink holder on the chair, he watched the eighteen year old too. The young mutant made a face at Logan, similar to what Jay made. That annoyed Logan.

"What the hell?" Logan growled, smoking as the music got louder.

 _I sit here on the stairs  
'Cause I'd rather be alone.  
If I can't have you right now,  
I'll wait dear…  
Sometimes I get so tense,  
But I can't speed up the time.  
But you know, love,  
There's one more thing to consider._

 _Said, Woman take it slow,  
And things will be just fine.  
You and I'll just use a little patience.  
Said, Sugar take the time,  
'Cause the lights are shining bright.  
You and I've got what it takes to make it.  
We won't fake it, I'll never break it.  
'Cause I can't take it…_

"I'd be careful where I'd tread, if I were you," Matthew warned, darting quickly for a beer of his own before someone saw him before sitting back down. "Some of this family isn't happy you're here."

"Like who?" Logan's tone remained cold and calculating.

"I think you already have your answer." Matthew's head motioned to Jay and Shannon to the right. "Those two would be the biggest hurdles you have to jump over. You need to prove to them that you mean Danielle no harm."

"Why you telling me?" Logan was immediately suspicious. His previous dealings with Matthew, save for the funeral last year, had been a pain in the ass, to say the least.

"Because someone trapped me into being good to someone else," Matthew explained, before getting up again. "I thought to return the favor."

Matthew soon left and Xavier took his place. Although the Professor opted to staying in his wheelchair, he still eyed the crowds warily. He was tired, Logan saw, and most certainly not in a socializing mood. He did smile at Logan though, ignoring the smoking as he moved closer to the older mutant.

"What happened back there?" Xavier asked quietly. "Shannon and Jay make it sound like you led Danielle down a pathway they didn't want."

"The kid took me out back to retrieve something for me," Logan confessed. "Nothing more. I can promise you that, Professor. I wouldn't dare anyway."

"I believe you. Whether or not you allow Jay to see that and he allowed himself to use that power, it is up to him. However, I do not think you are taking Danielle's innocence seriously."

"I am. I just think she's trapped in a world of their choosing and needs friends outside of that."

"And she does." Xavier pointed out Jean and Ororo in one corner, comforting Danielle in some fashion after Shannon was done with her. "They would be there for her, Logan. Don't worry about it. Just give her a few minutes and everything will be fine."

"Is everyone in this family except Danielle so distrustful of others?" Logan had to ask. "I seem to be stepping on some toes."

"You did," Xavier confirmed. "You will continue to. Nobody likes another taking their young daughter's heart and holding onto it while they cannot."

"I don't understand."

"Danielle depends on you, Logan, in ways nobody can imagine. It isn't love from your end, I see, but hers. It would have ended many years before if I saw something inappropriate from you. However, I am seeing that she trusts you and that is a good thing for her right now. She needs that, even if her childish crush might end cruelly."

"And her family?"

Xavier shrugged his shoulders and chuckled. "I am trying my hardest with talking to Shannon. I cannot promise that Jay will come around."

Soon, the music changed again. People started grabbing partners and were dancing. Scott and Jean whizzed by Xavier and Logan while Matthew and Ororo went in another direction. Jay managed to get Shannon to hold the baby while he danced with Fiona gently, as she leaned heavily on him. Danielle soon was in front of Xavier and Logan though, staring at the latter with eyes that begged for something.

"Please, Logan," she said. "Dance with me."

It was a repeat of the wedding. Logan knew that he had no choice, getting up with a groan and watching Xavier's merriment as he put the cigar out in his hands and pocketed it and gave up the beer. Soon, he was leading Danielle this time, not letting her go. He felt her rest against his chest, the insecurity and fright planted on her body, and allowed it this time, since it seemed so harmless, even if she knew fully what she was doing. He closed his eyes, willing this whole thing to end so that her family did not get the wrong idea. He could not afford to fall in love with Danielle, especially now, when things were too precarious and her youth an excuse for anything. He didn't want to give her the wrong idea either, hoping to whoever was up there that she was spared any ill feelings from him.

 _Once the world was new,  
Our bodies felt the morning dew  
That greets the brand new day.  
We couldn't tear ourselves away._

 _I wonder if you care,  
I wonder if you still remember.  
Once upon a time  
In your wildest dreams._

 _And when the music plays,  
And when the words  
Are touched with sorrow…  
When the music plays,  
I hear the sound I had to follow.  
Once upon a time…_

 _Once beneath the stars,  
The universe was ours.  
Love was all we knew  
And all I knew was you._

 _I wonder if you know,  
I wonder if you think about it.  
Once upon a time  
In your wildest dreams…_

Even though the loud partying Logan heard the familiar noise of a jeep coming up a driveway. He stopped dancing towards the end of the song, Danielle with him. She shot him a questionable glance without using her powers to see why, only following when Logan parted and went down to the driveway towards the noise. The two saw a few enlisted personnel in the jeep, fidgeting with something important to say. Instinctively, Logan saluted, going immediately to the man in the driver side.

"What's the news?" Logan asked, curious.

"We need Corporal Mitchell back to base," the driver said. "Kuwait's been invaded by Saddam. Orders are, we need to stand by."

"What?" Danielle came out from behind Logan and stared at the driver in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"It means we might be at war, Miss," the driver replied. "Saddam is a nasty one. It might mean the Allies are coming back together and actually fighting a war against the Soviets this time. We might bomb the hell out of the Ruskies and Saddam and that'll be the end of it all."

* * *

 **Above lyrics are from (in order of appearance) Guns n Roses' "Patience" and the Moody Blues' "Your Wildest Dreams".**


	17. Angels, Cars and Strangers

It had been a flurry of activity since the announcement of a possible war. Once Jay had been told of his orders, he was quickly off and running, leaving a confused Fiona behind. The party soon broke up and people drifted aimlessly, as if they didn't know what to do. Shannon and Mae had to bring Fiona and the baby inside. Logan saw that the young mother was leaning against Mae the most, her face poised in what seemed like a tragedy. The teenager did not know what war really meant, other than death and destruction. She might not even see Jay again after the farewell she received.

Logan had recalled seeing a lot of that when he was at war. All those young women, from the Civil War onward, clung onto the soldiers who left them with promises of marriage and children. After the carnage, they were still there, cleaning up the bodies and burying the dead or dealing with the war's traumas when they got married to a man who was never the same. He sure as hell hoped that Fiona did not have to go through that, much as he did not like Jay. No woman deserved that, even with a newborn baby and little time as a family.

Soon, Xavier led the school's exodus in leaving, which prompted everyone else to get into their cars and depart. Hank took the front seat of the van they brought with them and everyone loaded themselves in, all except Logan, Roger and Mae (they had been busy inside with the family and would return later). Logan waved them away to indicate that he was staying a little longer and preferring to go back the same way he came, just to be alone. He would be walking, although it would be a long trek from here back into town and then to the school.

As soon as the cars started leaving, Danielle came up to Logan quietly and sadly, waving to ensure that someone actually cared about them departing. She had stayed outside when all others had disappeared, staying away at a distance in order to keep her emotions at bay, keeping it a smile, nod and wave situation. She was shocked to hear that Jay would be taken away, but was keeping that more and more inside. Logan did not think that the concept of war and that Jay being used as a pawn would register in her mind anyway. All he knew about her was that she saw this as her brother being sent away to a faraway place and that he might not come back.

Xavier had been right. She _was_ innocent, Logan saw. Only a huge catastrophe directed at her would change that.

"Did I tell you I've been writing?" Danielle asked Logan as the last vehicle left, words that were so soft that Logan almost did not hear them.

"What?" Logan turned to Danielle. "You write?"

"Yeah," Danielle replied shyly. "You want to read?"

"Sure…" Logan let that thought trail, taking out a cigar from the box he was holding and lighting it. He allowed a few minutes for Danielle to run back into the house and grab her paper from her room, taking it when she returned and gave it to him.

 _She's talking to angels,  
She's counting the stars,_ _  
_ _Making a wish on a passing car._ _  
_ _She's dancing with strangers,  
She's falling apart,_ _  
_ _Waiting for Superman to pick her up._ _  
_ _In his arms, yeah, in his arms, yeah._ _  
_ _She's waiting for Superman_ _._

"Been watching shitty movies again, kid?" Logan asked her, handing the paper back and putting the box down on a lawn chair.

"Is it that bad?" Danielle wrung her hands, the poem in-between them and being crushed.

"No, no," Logan reassured her, continuing to speak with the cigar in his mouth. "It's just a joke. I like it though. It's the first thought that came into my head."

"I was wishing for something last night," Danielle explained, "and was watching the stars. It just came out that way."

"I'm sure you'll finish it."

"How do you know it's not done yet?"

"Just do."

"I doubt it will be. I never finish things."

"Don't say never, kid. It means it'll collect dust. Sometimes, things take time."

"Experience?" Danielle peered at Logan with curiosity.

"You can call it that." Logan finished his cigar, putting it out with his heel and picking up the butt to pocket when he saw Shannon peer out from the porch suddenly.

"Danielle, inside _now_ ," Shannon ordered in a tone that Logan had not heard from her before.

Immediately, Danielle obeyed, but without not a goodbye wave to Logan. With Shannon there and so intent on protecting her daughter and feeling that a threat was near, Logan did not dare to. He only watched the girl run inside and Shannon stare at him with an intensity that meant that she was pissed off…and at him. Logan had an idea of what it was about. He took out another cigar from the box and lit up, hoping to get a rise out of Shannon and confront her. However, she was calmer than he even expected her to be. She walked down from the porch, standing before Logan with hands on her hips.

"Stay away from Danielle, you hear me?" Shannon demanded. "She isn't yours."

"She may be your daughter, but she's isn't property," Logan pointed out. "Last I heard, women weren't second class citizens anymore."

"And you would know anything about it?" Shannon challenged, tears now running down her face.

"Listen, I've lived through more than a century of this bullshit," Logan replied, not moved by the tears. "You treating your daughter like that isn't right. You can't suck her into your world and expect her to like it. If you haven't realized, she's lost. She looks up to the people who held out a hand, not the people who pull her next to them and make them suffer."

"And this makes you an expert in children?"

"It doesn't, but I know what I see. Your daughter welcomed me into her life when she was six years old. _Six_ , when she was sitting in a window and worried about you, who tried committing suicide and her brother and cousin didn't give two shits about her. She needed you, not me, to hold her hand and teach her. Instead, I've been picking up the pieces when I could. Quite honestly, I am tired of you making that possible. You want to make your children into mini adults, that's your business. Just don't expect others, like me, Hank and the Professor, to do the same. I love Danielle and will always be there for her, but I cannot sit back and not say anything to you while you accuse me of something I did not do. Parenting begins at the home, not with someone else."

Shannon ran forward and slapped Logan across the face, causing his cigar to go flying. The next thing Logan knew, she was attacking him, scratching his face and screaming, trying to knock him down and beat him. Easily enough, he restrained her wrists, which infuriated Shannon more. Calling Logan all sorts of names (something he could brush off because he had heard enough over the years) brought Mae and Roger outside. Quickly, Roger ran towards the pair and pulled Shannon away. Immediately, Shannon tried going at Roger, but he managed to keep her under control and throw her over his shoulder, bringing her inside without another word except for her echoing screeches. Mae, on the other hand, went over to Logan. Her eyes seemed sad, like Jay being ordered back to base was enough, and she didn't know what to say to him. She shuffled her feet awkwardly before trying to talk.

"I'm sorry," Mae began, hoping that it would bring some peace between them. "I didn't think Shannon would act like that."

"I didn't either." Logan cracked his neck.

"I mean, I didn't think Shannon would react like this," Mae continued. "I've never seen her keep so calm before she lost all control."

"I don't think someone has told her the truth before either."

"Well, Chameleon did –"

"And he's done a great job, hasn't it?" Logan picked up another cigar from the box and lit it, not finding the one he lost because of Shannon. "Him and her both, they're screwing those kids up."

"Honestly, Logan, can't you see?"

"See what? That these two kids are just emotionally abused?"

"I wouldn't go that far."

"I would." Logan blew some smoke in Mae's face, annoyed with her that she wasn't seeing the whole picture he finally was. "Shannon is a selfish bitch who can't help herself, refuses the help and leaves everyone to pick up the pieces, including her children. She suffers, but her kids don't need to hurt with her."

"You know, I agree with you." Mae said it so quietly that Logan almost didn't hear her.

"Then, why can't you do something about it?" Logan was furious that someone else knew, but would do nothing. He felt the weight of the situation on his shoulders, on top of everything else.

 _Was it enough? Was it enough to tell a parent her place?_

"I can't," Mae confessed. " _Nobody_ can. I've been with Shannon for so long, but she won't listen to me. She wasn't always like this, you know? Chameleon going to Vietnam, being alone and seeing death in her mutation made her this way. Danielle was a way to compensate for the loneliness she felt when Chameleon was overseas and he didn't care. Instead, that pushed Danielle away and caused Chameleon to leave because he snapped."

"She…won't listen to you?"

"No. She won't listen to me, Roger, the Professor, _anyone_ , anymore. After last year, she's been worse. She lost the very people she trusted alone and that loosened one more screw."

"I'd say too many had been loosen, if she had any to begin with."

Mae laughed, covering her mouth to stifle it.

"Honestly," Logan continued, "anyone thought of putting her away?"

"And leave her to use her mutation to kill herself?" Mae was shocked at the suggestion. "No. We all agreed not to put Shannon away. I also promised her mother that, if I had the chance, I would not and would take care of her. I grew up with these people, knew all of their secrets and kept a million more. Yet, I cannot do that Shannon. She's my friend and I know she needs the help, but there is no help for a mutant who sees death."

"I thought she could live and die at will?" Logan asked, finishing his cigar.

"She could." Mae looked at Logan suspiciously. "Who told you?"

"Does that matter now? I've known for years."

"I can find out, you know."

"Reading minds now, can we?"

"No, memory hopping."

"Wait… _what_?" Now, Logan was confused.

"Memory hopping is different from reading it in a mind," Mae explained. "You can pinpoint a time and place and see it, like you're walking through it and seeing it up close in all angles, no matter who and what is there. However, you cannot change it. Sometimes, it's hell, because when someone is dreaming something from the past, you can touch a person and see it. You can also bring someone back to their worst nightmares and their best moments in life. You can look on in nostalgia and wonder what went wrong. It's a blessing and a curse."

"Most mutations are those. Now, you gonna answer my question?"

"Which one?"

Logan was getting irritated that Mae was being coy. "About the family living and dying at will."

"Oh, that." Mae waved her hand. "Yes, they can. All of them can, which makes me wonder why those women chose to die after being shot. However, back to Shannon…she can also literally see death. She can't see when someone will die, but _how_ , in her mind anyway. She won't tell anyone how it will happen. She told me once that she sees it like a demon, a dark secret she hoped against everything that would be wrong. She knew her mother, sister and nieces would die the way they did, Logan, and did not tell anyone that they were raped, tortured and then shot. Just not when they."

"The stuff for nightmares, I'd say."

"Yes…yes it was."

The two were quiet for a moment. Mae took a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket and started smoking one, muttering how she needed to quit someday and that it was hypocritical for her to be smoking. Logan picked up another cigar and did the same, appreciating the silence for now, since the conversation was a little uncomfortable. Darkness soon fell as the two stood there and the late summer insects buzzed around them weakly. Mae finished her cigarette and started another one, studying Logan intently.

"I always wondered what you knew," Mae started up again. "Being quiet and holding so many secrets as you do, just as we do…it makes me speculate. What do you know about us?"

"Who is 'us' exactly?" Logan asked, curious.

"The whole family, I mean. It seems someone has been telling you about Shannon."

"A little," Logan admitted. "I've had to though. To understand Danielle, I needed to know more of her family. Spontaneous seems to be the name of her game."

"So I've heard. That dance was one of the best things you did for her, I think."

Logan shrugged his shoulders. "It was just an idea. She loved it."

"She did," Mae conceded. "However, she's soon going to be running in a new pastime and it's not going to be impulsive activities, although she might need to think on her feet often enough."

"What are you talking about?"

"What I mean, Logan, is that this so-called war is going to pit one person against another. People will use each other, all in the name of war. Political gain is the name of the game. Danielle will soon be in the same boat as her brother, except in a different way. It's dragging on long enough."

Logan only had to think about Senator Ellis, Teller and Chameleon and how everyone hoped Danielle would not be a part of their downfalls. This was going to be profitable for them all in the meantime. It wasn't just going to be about the money. It was going to be about the prestige and power. The two mutants on the bottom will benefit from what the senator did. Since Ellis was so anti-mutant, he would take advantage of the fact that America was going into the Middle East and use it against the same people he did not like. It would a chase to those who did not support the country, Logan knew. It would be us or them once more.

"And it will go on for years, if we don't stop Ellis," Logan pointed out, feeling it the most obvious thing to say and do.

The corners of Mae's mouth twitched. "Yes, we knew this. My brother would need to be stopped."

That one statement shook Logan underneath. "Wait…your _brother_ …?"

"Yes, Leon is my brother," Mae confirmed. "He's my older, spiteful brother, one who has been tormenting me for years. I was the reason he hates mutants. Just because I was different and got more attention from our parents, he had to compete and be better. Now, he's won everything and more…and would ruin for the world for it. Yes, Leon needs to go…and he needs to be killed in order for it to happen."

* * *

 **Lyrics are from Daughtry's "Waiting for Superman".  
**


	18. Patriotic Fervor and Murder

Salem Center was soon up in a patriotic fervor when it was announced later that week that soldiers in the area were being overseas. Immediately, the town was covered in American flags (on houses, businesses, faces and even dyed in hair), trying to give a loud sendoff to those who were being sent to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Soon, the hometown hero in Congress, Senator Leon Ellis, gave word that he was coming back to give a speech and personally lead the soldiers going to the airport, going as far as security to show his support. It made him more popular, Logan saw, but it also made him more dangerous to them.

"I would prefer you did not go to his rally before he leaves, Logan, but you may have to," Xavier said one morning during a meeting, the day before Ellis was due to arrive. "Alex, Hank and Roger would be recognizable, but I am thinking Roger would send some people in to infiltrate and get information anyway. We need to see what his next step would be."

Logan rolled his eyes, trying his hardest not to make his disdain so obvious without being obnoxious. Roger had been more prominent in the meetings with Xavier and Hank about the school's security and what this new so-called war would mean (an operation, as Logan saw it, not war), especially with the anti-mutant front up in arms once more. Mutants weren't the curious people humans were once interested in, Roger was insisting, and they weren't some zoo creatures either. He was thinking that the populace would gather together under one person against a group of different people and that the mutants (and the non-heterosexual communities, since AIDS was still big) would be next. Ellis was most certainly leading the way and his eyes rested upon Xavier's school most of all.

"How would you figure we need to be there?" Logan asked, annoyed with Roger without him being there. "We don't know for sure that this rally is all that it's about. For all we know, Ellis could be playing the cards he says he has and leave it alone."

"And if it's not?" Xavier asked, his voice betraying the worries he's had concerning the senator and his activities. "Logan, Alex and Roger have evidence that Ellis is planning something for the school, but not what it is. If his words keep resounding in other people, then the crowds that follow him will grow. We cannot afford the school to be rebuilt again. We must continue on, for the children."

"Why do you want Roger in all of this?" Logan blurted out. "You are against everything that he stands for. He feels that violence is an end to a mean. He –"

"Has a network that nobody else could imagine," Xavier finished. "No, Logan, I do not care about the ways Roger Mortimer goes about finding things out or getting things done. However, information comes at a price, a high one I cannot pay. Roger provided the way years before to do it for me. He's on our side, Logan, if you can believe it. He stayed with me, along with Hank, when so many others did not, and continued to work on the outside."

"Even before I came along, you had those two?"

"Roger was not available when you arrived."

"I saw that. That does not answer my question though, Professor. You had those two, you can admit. It just makes me wonder what he did when the school was closed."

Xavier smiled secretly. "That would be our business, Logan. Now, to the rally…"

"What about it?" Logan inched his fingers towards his pockets, wanting a cigar (even inside), but Xavier looked at him severely. The rule still stood apparently.

"I would never ask you to do the same as Roger is, but it is important to have a different set of eyes," Xavier explained. "Listen, take note and report back at the next meeting later tomorrow night. If this is what we believe it is, we would need to implement a plan of our own, something that would change what we have. It's enough I have to sacrifice many more to this."

"Why do you feel the need to?" Logan wondered out loud, not seeing what Xavier was talking about. "You don't need to take on most of the school in order to get this done."

"You'll see, Logan." Xavier was quiet about the exact details. "You understand the inner circle between Teller, Chameleon and Ellis. Now, the deeper meaning of their relationship begins, one that brings us here. We know that Teller and Chameleon teamed up several years before and ringed Ellis in, with the promises of becoming who he wanted to be. What aims Ellis has with the mutant community, we do not know. However, what he wants in showing support for the government wars is something we believe to be a part of this."

"Discrediting us, you think?" Logan knew the usual drill.

"Much more than that, Logan." Xavier appeared in every way to be grim. "Senator Ellis, other than reaching for powers he cannot have, is attempting what no other than has tried since the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. He wishes to show that mutants are dangerous, much more so than any other human on the planet…and that they should be wiped out."

~00~

A simple street corner near the town green was a good enough place to watch the rally. Leaning against a telephone pole on a closed streets full of booths and games, Logan smoked a cigar, putting it out under his boot heel when he finished. He watched as people readied themselves for the parade, speech from Ellis and the waving off of the troops. Already, groups of soldiers going overseas were lining up before the stage at the center green, standing so still under the hot summer sun that Logan swore that they were almost mannequins. Regardless, this was already becoming an event that was asking for trouble and Logan hoped that the people being honored today would be able to contain whatever chaos ensured.

Logan eyed everyone else with a wary mind, particularly though who walked by and gushed about the senator in revered tones. Everyone in Salem Center seemed to be so proud of Leon Ellis, their hero in every way, and would talk about him whenever possible. Logan thought the school to be one of the few who would dislike the senator, but kept that opinion to himself. It seemed to be in bad taste to be talking of their local politician in such a manner. Then again though, Logan was never politically correct and never would be. Keeping his mouth shut just seemed to be the better thing for him to do though.

"Hey, Logan! Over here!"

It was Ororo waving and running closer to him, with Jean and Danielle behind her. The three girls, two in college and the third about to graduate from her middle school classes, came up to Logan. While Ororo seemed to be the only calm person amongst the three, Jean and Danielle looked around the same way Logan was. They were cautious, he saw, and somehow could not see how Ororo could not be the same way. The weather-controlling mutant grinned at Logan though, her white hair finally grown out from the eighties Mohawk and appearing longer and prettier in every way. The rebellious streak had been broken, Logan realized, and she, as well as Jean, had been more adult than when he started dealing with them almost a decade before.

"Storm." Logan nodded. "Jean, Danielle. What are you doing here?"

"Getting out," Jean explained shakily, her head motioning quickly to Danielle on her left. "I figured we'd stop at a few vendors before listening to the speech."

Logan could read in-between the lines in many ways. Jean was looking for a distraction for Danielle and was out doing something else, just as he was.

 _But what?_

He didn't want to know. Somehow, Logan was more interested in hearing what Ellis had to say and seeing what his plans were and did not seem to want to involve himself with adolescent drama. After dealing with Shannon a short time ago, he wasn't interested in getting into the details anymore except for Roger's. The distance was painful, especially for Danielle, but Logan had to do it. He needed to rethink his focus and perhaps stay away, especially from those who he cared about.

Getting too close was a liability, Logan thought. Yes, it was best to stay away.

Danielle peered at Logan with eyes that did not see. Her hands clenched each other in anxiety, twitching here and there. Logan realized that being where they were wasn't the whole reason she was the way she was, just Jean's seemed to be. Something more was bothering her. Her mother must be on her mind. Losing Jay and Fiona and Jax without him was another. However, it could not have been that. On and off, Danielle's eyes would turn a blood red or an onyx black and then back to its original hazel. When Ororo and Jean finally noticed it, just as Logan did, they crowded around her and turned back to him, both smiling as if nothing happened.

"What brings you here?" Ororo asked, to try to smooth out the conversation and hide Danielle from the others around them.

"I think you both can answer that question," Logan pointed out, his eyes turning to the stage and back to them.

"He has been an opponent, you know." Jean didn't need to say much else.

"What does he have on us that makes him hate us so?" Ororo shook her head. "He wasn't even around when the destruction first hit. He even wasn't with us in the beginning and could hardly judge us."

"I also think he missed being pickpocketed by the best thief there was in Cairo," Jean added, laughing.

Ororo and Danielle soon joined in the merriment, although it seemed too superficial. Logan grinned, to show that he at least found them amusing, and turned back to the action before him, including a lot of fanfare and local announcements. At the corner of his eye, he then saw Roger in some alleyway, leaning with a leg up, writing some notes down on a clipboard. Some men and women came up to him, talking briefly with him before leaving. Waving the girls away and letting them know he was departing from their circle, Logan walked over to where Roger was and waited as patiently as he could to see him. Finally, when the line moved forward and it was his turn, Logan saw the surprise on Roger's face. That was wiped away quickly, replaced with something akin to irritation.

"What is it, Logan?" Roger inquired, writing another note before giving Logan all of his attention. "I don't have much time to deal with your bullshit right now."

"I don't either," Logan conceded. "At least we're agreed on that."

Roger almost reared his horns up, but calmed down enough, recalling that he had to work as a team. "Get on with it. I don't have all day."

"Where are you getting your information from?" Logan demanded. "Teller and Chameleon have yet to show me anything Ellis is up to, even after a handful of years."

Sighing, Roger stood up straighter. "Patience, Logan. It took me longer than you to get that Ellis was up to targeting the school. He's doing it slowly though, in a way that nobody would notice and would claim he was innocent of all charges. We're doing the same, Logan. We're striking slowly and working with his plans, as much as we can."

In the background, the two could hear the cheers, getting louder as people passed them and packed themselves closer to the green as the local people were done with their speeches. Logan assumed that Ellis took to the stage at long last and was preparing for his discourse. With so many troops protecting him, nobody would dare take him on, not even them in the alleyway. Logan had to turn over Roger's words though, even over the screaming, and thought that it would be best to assassinate the bastard and end it, once and for all.

 _It wouldn't do though._ Not now anyway. Logan would save that plan for later, when things got a little desperate and hairy, which he was sure would happen some years from now.

Before long through, the two mutants allowed the tension to grow. Between Logan and Roger, there was a staring contest, each trying to outdo the other and showing off their best menacing looks. Behind them, Ellis started his speech. Even with the usual opening words, Logan felt a chill go down his spine.

" _My fellow Americans, we gather here today…"_

Tired of Roger and not feeling like winning, Logan turned around, allowing the next person in to talk with Roger. He walked out of the alleyway, hardly listening to the words Ellis was spewing out this time. Cursing under his breath, he did a full circuit around the green, to do the job given to him by Xavier. He wasn't surprised about the security Ellis had, especially using the Army guys to be the initial shield, and tried his hardest to get some of the speech into memory. With so much of it poison in his mind, his consciousness tended to ignore it. Instead, he scanned the crowds again, trying to find the girls and stand by them. Not seeing them, he instead moved to the back, where some morons tried hiding their misdeeds, the most prominent being groups of teenagers in leather jackets beating up some other kids.

" _We must face the threat head-on, overseas and at home…"_

Logan tried not to butt into others' business, but he noticed that the kids being beaten up were visibly mutants and not those who were at the school. Within a split second, he turned and saw more people, instead in uniform and in some of police force clothing (and not from Salem Center or New York State). They came up and continued the fight, delivering death blows to the mutants involved. They then moved on, surging through the crowds from the back forward, checking for mutants and beating those who resisted or those who were. Again, Logan moved on in another direction, knowing that the speech was still on, people were not paying attention to the true action and that Ellis had started his first steps towards murder.

Yet, all the older mutant would think about was those who came to this event and were still out there, somewhere without protection from the thugs. They were in danger. If Ellis set these people out and they were killing mutants, they would not stop. In the middle of a patriotic speech, who would? Who would stop the chaos within chaos and realize that they were being attacked from the inside out?

There was no time. Logan sprinted, desperately looking for Jean, Ororo and Danielle.


	19. Shaped for the Future Fights

Ever since coming to the rally, both Jean and Danielle had been very uneasy. Ororo did not sense it like they did and tried to keep the company light and cheery, pulling them this way and that way. However, the two did not seem to stop that feeling from going away, especially Danielle. She felt it seep into her, from the ground into her head, and she could not shake it away. After Logan left their group, it got worse, even though they bought some fried dough from a vendor frying everything (even Twinkies), watched some kids on ride ponies, clapped for a magician in the streets and say hi to Nightcrawler and Matthew going the other way.

"I wonder why Scott did not come," Ororo remarked, once they found a spot to settle, near the statue of George Washington, some feet from the stage (considered a coveted spot supposedly). "This would have been his thing, although there's no Ferris wheel."

Jean blushed, her feelings of negativity leaving briefly. "Oh, stop it. Just because we did it once, does not mean it'll happen again."

"What? Kiss on top of the ride?" Danielle hid her nervousness behind the façade of silliness, trying to be a child. "I think it's super sweet of Scott to be so social."

"Yeah, we don't normally see him like that," Ororo pointed out.

"It's because of many things," Jean gossiped cryptically. "He's not really assertive, you know, and he doesn't feel like the leader the Professor tries to make him."

Afterward, Danielle wasn't paying attention to Jean about Scott, her mind no longer on things that actually mattered. As Jean and Ororo closed their circle and ignored her, she continued to feel as if a noose was tightening around them. She walked away from the two older mutants, ambling aimlessly around the crowds and more and more away from Jean and Ororo. She pushed her way through, elbowing without feeling the people she touched. She didn't know what she was looking for or what was coming after them. All she knew was that she needed to find someone or something…or never get out of there alive.

Some streets away, far away from Jean and Ororo, Danielle spotted the first body, which seemed to be ignored by people around it. She had never seen a dead person before. She also did not realize how ignorant these people were, their eyes only for the man who was glowing in the glory of his popularity. Senator Ellis had already taken the stage and was trying to speak into the microphone, but could not and seemed to be so humbled by the applause he was getting. He shook his hands in the air, as if shaking his own hand, and started his speech. Danielle did not hear much of it, only feeling its power rush from the stage to the back rows, and continued walking past the body.

Then, there was another. Danielle's mind saw the next dead mutant before her eyes did. She found it, studying the motionless death only could bring. Her eyes locked into the lifeless ones of the tattooed mutant before her, the rainbow-colored hair almost appearing as if it would change any moment. The mind was empty from afar, dark and dank, as if a presence's light had been extinguished forever. Danielle could not understand how it happened, how hurtful it would be to run and embrace the light before you. She kneeled before the dead person, touching the still forehead so lightly, and felt the same feeling over and over again as her fingers traced the wrinkles and colored lines.

 _I've seen it before._

Every time Danielle thought of death, she saw that light. She remembered it well, even seeing it herself some years before, when she was small and helpless. Her mother talked about it too, like it was a long-lost best friend, walking with them hand in hand. Danielle personally had never felt it so completely, even that one time she almost touched the light, until she saw it so close to her, all of her senses telling her all at once to walk away and to embrace it. The danger was still near, everything told her, and she had to make a choice.

 _Stay or run._

She had to go. Reluctantly, Danielle rose, suddenly facing a circle of hostility around her. Her eyes ran over each of them equally, fear racing out of her body and an inner peace she never knew replacing it. It had been death on their minds, her best friend that she always was supposed to escort throughout her life. These people would not expect it, she supposed. They never understood death as she now did, twisting their fists and pulling out weapons the way they were doing. It was all too easy for them, Danielle knew, and it would be easier still to never put up a fight.

" _As we stand here, man to man, we realize, with open hearts, that we are under a threat, a threat to this nation, that would need to be decimated…"_

One lunged for Danielle and missed when she danced to the right. Another tried grabbing her when she got too close, but she ducked. Hitting the ground near the body, Danielle realized that she hit the puddle of blood left behind. She rolled in it by accident, using the momentum from it to get into a small spot left open in the circle, and shot right through. Narrowly missing the circle hitting her, Danielle ran away from them as fast as she could, following the outline of the back rows of the crowds and trailing blood droplets behind her. Too many had been involved with the speech to care that some eleven year old was sprinting behind them anyway.

Too quickly, Danielle rammed right into another person, feeling as if she hit a brick wall. She felt herself fall backwards, her hands keeping her head hitting the pavement. Recovering, she had a hand grab hers, pulling her and brushing off the dirt and shaking about the blood, although he knew that it wasn't hers. Stunned, Danielle looked up to see Logan. Relief lined his face, she noted, and it was quickly replaced with panic before masking it with his usual coolness. Glancing left and right, he moved Danielle against a business, pressing her body against his to keep people from seeing them, and held her closely. Just as some people in uniform, military and civilian alike, ran past them yelling for mutant blood, Logan darted for Danielle's face and kissed her on the lips.

It was over as quickly as it started. Logan pulled out of it and make sure no others saw them. He kept Danielle in his arms though, saying nothing to explain what he had just done.

Danielle could not describe her feelings and could hardly feel elated about her first kiss outside of family members, opting not to think about sparks and fireworks. While she had long dreamt of this moment with Logan (knowing it to be just an infantile fantasy), she knew what this was all about. Although eleven and appearing in every way older than that, Logan was using this image to his advantage, hiding her from the guards and kissing her. It seemed to be the oldest trick in the book, to hide from her friend named death, and it fooled everyone seeking mutants.

"Let's go, kid," Logan urged in a hiss, taking Danielle out of the embrace and pushing her forward. With a backwards gaze, she obeyed, feeling balloons fly in their faces and hearing the music from speakers from the stage.

 _Born down in a dead man's town,_ _  
_ _The first kick I took was  
When I hit the ground._ _  
_ _You end up like a dog  
That's been beat too much_ _  
_ _'Til you spend half your life  
Just covering up._

 _Born in the USA,_ _  
_ _I was born in the USA._ _  
_ _I was born in the USA._ _  
_ _Born in the USA._

 _Got in a little hometown jam  
So they put a rifle in my hand._ _  
_ _Sent me off to a foreign land  
To go and kill the yellow man._

 _Born in the USA,_ _  
_ _I was born in the USA._ _  
_ _I was born in the USA._ _  
_ _Born in the USA._

Logan soon had to keep a tighter grip on Danielle. The crowds had grown thicker with people inspired by Ellis' slimy speech. Before they knew it, they reached another blind alley, being pushed back by people coming back from the stage and copying the actions of those braying for the mutants. Logan followed the motion, pulling Danielle into the alleyway nearby. Although another dead end, Logan found a fire escape they could climb up. It was a good idea, Logan thought in retrospective. Nobody noticed them and it was an easy escape, even with a stubborn youngster who decided it was a great idea to show herself to some pretty angry people.

Danielle turned to Logan before they even went up the ladder. "What's going on?" she asked, more curious than scared. "Why were they after me?"

"I was going to ask how a smart kid like you how you got caught with those thugs, but I won't." Logan tried to keep the bitterness out of his bite, but that could not be helped. "Ellis is anti-mutant. He's using this as an excuse."

"An _excuse_ …for what? Why would he kill mutants like that?" Danielle thought about it for a minute and felt pretty stupid asking Logan something so simple.

"Because they can." Logan let go of Danielle and jumped up, pulling the ladder of the fire escape down. He helped Danielle up, climbing after her and settling on the first level.

"What will happen to Jay?" Danielle looked out over the town, watching the soldiers leave the green and march with Ellis in glory. "He's a mutant. If Ellis finds out, will he be killed like the others?"

"I don't know," Logan admitted. "He might, he might not. It depends on his survival skills and what policy the military has on mutants. I am sure he can take care of himself though. Last I remembered, they didn't mind mutants."

"He wanted to make things better, I just know it," Danielle pointed out in misery. "How is this mending fences?"

"It won't. He best be quiet in that case and never breath a word of being a mutant unless he's in danger."

"And Jean and Storm? What about them?"

"We'll find 'em. I'm sure Roger is on this as much as I am as he's on his way back here. Do you see anything?"

Danielle felt touched to be in on the quest for the rescue, checking the town before them. "No. Do you want me to look though?"

"You mean, see if Jean will be able to talk to you?"

"Yeah, I could try that too. I wasn't going to try and use my powers that much though."

"You'd be quicker with it anyway. Go ahead. See if Jean will link with you."

Danielle grinned, trying not to show her disappointment with doing the meekest thing. She closed her eyes, running her mind through the chaos that soon ensued with so many either waving goodbye to the soldiers, following Ellis on foot and vehicle or those people in uniform chasing and killing mutants. Danielle tried the statue she had last seen Jean and Ororo, but found it empty of her friends and almost toppling over with so much weight against it. She moved onward, around the stage and into the alleyways like she was in. Soon, she was nearing the stores, but could not reach that far without her head aching. She backed away and opened her eyes, turning to Logan.

"I can't find them," she complained, rubbing her head. "There's too much…I mean, there's too many people. There's a lot to go through."

"Then, we're going to have to do this the long and hard way." Logan patted himself down, making sure that he had a few things on him. "I'm heading out. You stay here. Roger was here a little while ago. He should be back with his motley crew sometime soon, if not soon."

"I want to come with you," Danielle immediately replied.

"No," Logan ordered. "It's too dangerous out there, kid. Too many people want the mutants dead and Ellis is riding on popular opinion with supporting the troops and being their leader. Best you stay put."

"I can help you find Jean and Storm," Danielle protested. "I can defend myself."

Logan almost laughed. "You can't defend yourself against your own mother. Stay _put_."

Logan noticed that Danielle did not argue that point. He then looked left and right and up and down before jumping off of the fire escape, running. Danielle watched him quickly disappear into the crowds and even eyed the other people with dismay, hoping to see Jay and did not. Logan was right. As soon as Senator Ellis had gone to take the troops to the airport, everyone decided to take his cue. All those who did not take the hike with the soldiers had taken to the streets, using everything they can against each other if not going home. They were not even discriminating against human and mutant this time.

Salem Center was in anarchy and there was no way to stop it.

Soon, someone arrived next to Danielle. She turned to see Roger. He put a fatherly hand on her shoulder, expecting the young girl to break down and cry. However, he was seeing that she was made of tougher stuff, which was a good thing. Ever since Jay had left for base training some time ago, she had been holding back her emotions, bottling them so that nobody could see them. She was hardening herself, but Roger did not know what for. He hoped it would be for the next mutant struggle. Apocalypse was enough, almost enough to kill all of them, human and mutant alike.

 _Ellis_? He was a different kind of animal and one that Roger did not want to tangle with, if he can help it. The human senator was so anti-mutant it wasn't a joke. He used Apocalypse as the basis of his campaign and has moved up ever since. Danielle was the daughter of his minion, a target of this upward ascent to power. The possibilities were endless for him, although the girl was eleven and the sky the limit with her future if Chameleon did not ruin it already. Roger only hoped he could help to shape it, to prepare her for the new future they had to face.

Within seconds, Danielle brushed the hand off of her shoulder. She continued to observe the action before her, taking sharper breathes, most of them in alarm. She then turned to Roger, desperation in her eyes. She could not leave the people she considered to be friends out there alone. She was anxious to do something for them. That alone told Roger that he might have some putty in his hands, a girl that he could shape for the fight against Ellis.

"I can't stand here," Danielle declared, glancing back and forth between Roger and the scene below. "I need to go. I need to help them."

"Logan tell you to stay?" Roger asked, trying to gauge the situation.

"Yes." Danielle sounded frustrated by the order. "He said it was dangerous."

"It is," Roger conceded, "but I can help you. I don't think it's time to leave town just yet. My men are out there, trying to evacuate everyone they can, but I think a little backup is in order."

Roger knew that what he was doing was stupid. He knew the best thing was to get Danielle out of town and back to the farmhouse or to the mansion for safety. He should have refused her and taken her by force, taking Logan's example and keeping her away. However, he pinned her for this kind of work and Ellis was eying her as well. Being in the middle was ideal for Danielle and the best way to start was to get her in the thick of the battles. He had to be careful though. Danielle had seen death and most likely walked with the Grim Reaper many times over, all in thanks to Shannon. He had to escort her constantly.

"Really?" Danielle could not believe what Roger was saying. "I can go?"

"Stay with me," Roger ordered, making his weapons more visible. "Watch, take note and copy when you can. Find Jean and Storm and get the hell out of here without me. Got it?"

"Yes," Danielle replied automatically, feeling excitement bubble in her. "I promise."

Roger nodded, pushing the fire escape ladder down for them to climb down. "All right then. Let's go."

* * *

 **Lyrics are from Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA".**


	20. The Outsider

Danielle stayed close to Roger, almost behind him and seeing the things he was in a different light, almost like she wasn't there and was the outsider. The man who people whispered was Xavier's master spy and assassin drifted through the chaos with grace, as if nobody noticed him and the young girl observing him. Then, at a corner store, Roger went to the side, just out of range of a security camera, and waved his hands in a circle, revealing some green and blue flames under his control. He blew them in another direction (towards a garbage can), saw the fire start to consume its easy destination and ran for it. Again, Danielle followed, using her mind to scan the crowds and try to find Jean and Ororo.

It was almost impossible still, she saw. Danielle's mind kept running into people she didn't need to know about, their emotions, most of them hatred, giving her a headache. Roger soon had her by the hand though, pulling her through the crowds like they belonged there. Within minutes though, someone ran right into Roger, separating him from Danielle just by force alone. The two hit the ground simultaneously in opposite directions, but soon saw that a river of bodies, living and dead, littered the way. Both up, they eagerly looked for a way to reunite and found nothing. Roger motioned Danielle to keep moving and yelled something she could not hear. However, the master spy and assassin was soon gone, leaving the young girl alone.

 _What do I do now?_

Danielle obeyed the command from Roger, but did not know where to go exactly, not feeling like an adult. Deciding that maybe heading towards the most action was the wisest decision, she went that way, soon running right back into Roger again by another store corner and watching him as he battled from one person to the next, as if it were too easy, and disable them before the benefit of getting back up. The movements were like fluid, very smooth and running without discrimination, and it seemed like she could definitely copy them too. When someone came up to her unexpectedly, she sensed it, balling her right hand into a fist and punching backwards, hopping down and using her legs to trip the attacker.

 _He's down. Oh, my God, he's down!_

She seemed too proud of herself. Again, Danielle repeated the actions, seeing the same results, and soon changed tactics. Afterward, she didn't know what happened next, it went so fast. All she knew was that she was seeing people come after her and she was literally putting their lights out and not killing them. Working her way towards Roger and then away again, she saw the same kind of bodies litter the ground and pile up higher and higher and felt the same mistake of being them didn't need to be repeated. Exhausted soon enough, she headed towards where Roger was, near the statue where she stood with Ororo and Jean some time ago, and only ensured her safety by pushing others away and ducking.

Then, it happened. That overly accustomed sound that Danielle knew too well came and went, but was nearby. Screams followed it and the smell of death took on a different scent. All she had to do was make sure Roger was fine, that he wasn't in the line of fire, and it would be ok. She would only need to watch out for him, even if it was for Mae and Gil…

Danielle stopped her fighting and ducked immediately before someone hit her with a club, soon _feeling_ the familiar sounds before she heard it again. "Roger, look out!" she screamed as her opponent's blood splattered on her, her hands out before she knew what was happening. Without realizing it, she closed her eyes and had felt a heavy metallic object pass by and miss Roger by inches.

Danielle opened her eyes. Her hands outstretched, she saw that she was inside a silver and blue bubble and that Roger was next to her, a bullet inches from his head. He watched in horror, perhaps for the first time in Danielle's life, as those outside of this bubble screamed at them, trying to get through, and feeling an electric shock. She then almost imagined Jay in her mind, trying his best to keep his agony under wraps and keep his mutation from the others, and she attempted to reassure him that she was not hurt. Once that had been achieved, she felt her feet move, as if in a run, and felt the bullet drop to her feet in a harmless drop. Roger did the same, the two of them scrambling for safety as what seemed like hundreds of humans chased them from one end of the green towards the beginning of the business district. By then though, Danielle saw Logan above their heads, jumping from building to building with ease, like he was keeping up with them.

Roger pointed up as they ran. "We need to find a place to stop," he commanded. "Think we can disappear for a few minutes?"

"I've never done something like that before," Danielle admitted. "Just me and Jay have made ourselves disappear and I made Jean invisible when I held her hand. I'm already draining him with this. _I'm_ getting tired just doing this."

"It might work if you do it quickly," Roger urged, seeing how pale and weak Danielle was getting. "Jay might need to deal with this if we are to survive. Now, listen to me, Danielle, and listen to me carefully. I want you to keep following Logan. When you see a spot where you think we can be cornered and still have an escape route, turn into it."

"An alleyway?" Danielle questioned.

"There's a million here," Roger replied with a wave of dismissal. "Find one with a fire escape and one that Logan will see. Once we get cornered, try to take that one second we're exposed and make us invisible."

"There's a chance they'd get us," Danielle pointed out, panting. "They might take a shot and hit us."

"That's what moving quickly is for," Roger said. "Now, lead me. Show me where we can stop."

It was tough, given so much on her shoulders in so little time. Danielle eyed Logan some buildings away, trying to get ahead of him and make sure that he saw them. She figured that it was the first step. The second was trying to get the enlarging crowd to not see him and to focus on just them alone (after all, Danielle did not want Logan hurt, trying to time everything just so). Nearing the middle of the business district, she suddenly decided that they needed to make a left-handed turn. Following that instinct, Danielle rushed into the end of the brick dead end, Roger with her. They turned around together, the moment where the next step of the plan was supposed to happen, and waited. Roger put a hand in front of Danielle, hoping to caution her into patience, but she was geared up to act.

"Steady," Roger ordered. "Do it on my word."

Danielle doubted it. She wanted to move now, flexing her fingers to grab Roger and make them invisible. The eyes of the people who followed them got too close for her comfort, their very abhorrence to mutants was so visible and scaring her. Their weapons were poised to keep hitting her bubble, to see if they can break it or if it would give them another electric shock. Their hands were ready to grab them when that bubble burst, to see who would get what piece of the mutants and when.

"Don't you think they're a little too close?" Danielle asked, her voice shaking.

"Getting there," Roger replied in a merry tone. "Get ready now…"

Danielle waited as unwearyingly as she could. She was about to close the bubble and make a run for it with Roger when something distracted the crowd before them. Someone was making a noise that made some wary, turn their heads or pay closer attention to them. Danielle wasn't sure which would help them though. Some were eying them with suspicion, as if this was their fault, and inched closer to see what would happen.

"Now!" Roger yelled.

It was as if Danielle smoothly went from one phase of her powers to the next and so quickly, she had to admit. As soon as Roger told her to, she pulled more power from Jay, knowing that she wouldn't be able to make it herself, and went from the protective cover to being invisible, holding Roger's hand so tightly that she thought that she was going to break it. Then, Roger had her get down to her feet, getting out of the way in a crawl and climbing up another fire escape just as someone threw a smoke bomb down towards the entranceway of the alley. With so many screams behind them, nobody noticed the two mutants make their escape, especially with the fear of fire so obvious. As soon as they reached the first level, Roger unhooked his hand. He thought them safe for now.

"Let's reach the top," he proposed. "I'm sure Logan is up there."

Danielle nodded. As she followed Roger floor after floor, she reached out to Jay, to make sure that he was ok from the power pull, and found that he was blocking her. She tried a mental knock, to tell him that she was around, and was ignored. She assumed that he was angry for some reason and chalked it up to him not being able to be there for her and having to be sent overseas. In either case, she tried moving on, using her other senses to try and get in contact with Jean and Ororo. No luck yet, but Logan might have something.

Soon, they were on the roof of the business. Roger took out a set of binoculars and glanced around quickly, stopping on one spot and grinning as he watched Logan appear and then jump from the adjacent building onto theirs, landing in front of Danielle and Roger. Logan, Danielle had to admit, was pretty angry. He did not look at her, instead of glaring at Roger in what seemed to be extreme contempt. Roger only put his eyeglass piece down and pocketed it, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Can I help you?" he asked Logan, unsure that the question was going to tick Logan off.

"I'm wondering the same thing," Logan replied gruffly. "I mean, I wouldn't be taking an eleven year old into a riot and expecting her to fight like an adult."

"Hey, I held my own pretty well," Danielle interjected.

"And disobeyed my orders!" Logan yelled. The tone of his voice made Danielle jump and want to tear up, it was that bitter.

"Listening to my own conscience, I'd say," Roger said, acting very calmly for one about to be berated. "She's a tool, Logan, and one we need to train as soon as possible. She was ready."

Logan picked up the argument with something else that made better sense, but Danielle was no longer listening. She moved towards the edge of the building, eying the whole of downtown Salem Center with suspicion, like it was no longer her home. However, that same evil made her look a little closer. She used her mind to move around the smoke, fires and dead and living bodies, past the statue and around the green, stopping before the stage. She saw shadows under there, souls of people who wanted nothing more than help and to be themselves. Coming back to the building mentally, Danielle turned around, even though it seemed that Logan and Roger were going to have it out, and ran, stopping between them just as Logan was about to swing.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Danielle screamed, pointing to the stage and feeling a half-hearted punch from Logan in the shoulder. "They're over there! Jean and Storm and other mutants are over there!"

"How do you know?" Roger demanded, infuriated that he lost his chance on beating the man with the adamantium skeleton. Logan, on the other hand, appeared apologetic and did not create an opportunity to express regret.

"It seems like someone was hiding them from others who meant them harm until I checked," Danielle argued, "but that isn't the point. Right now, we need to get them out of here. Distract the people around the stage, make the officers there act, _something_!"

Logan and Roger exchanged a glance and started laughing, almost barking in merriment. "You think anyone is going to help _us_ , a bunch of mutants?" Roger asked, rubbing his eyes to wipe away the tears. "I agree that everyone needs to be out of there and a distraction needs to be in place. However, I doubt the police and any military personnel left behind are going to be of any assistance. They're all people who belong to one person and that one person just left with the ones who would have been able to help us."

"Logan?" Danielle peered at the older mutant this time. "Please. You have to understand –"

"Kid, I don't need to understand anything," Logan clarified. "Roger is right though. It's up to us. _You_ , on the other hand, are staying here this time. No more playing war games with people."

"You can't make me," Danielle retorted. "You need all hands on deck. I don't need to be protected. You don't have the manpower for it."

"And I have men who can take your place and keep you in yours too," Roger started before Logan put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it so tightly that Roger swore it was going to break, like the time Danielle gripped his hand just minutes before.

"The kid's got a point too," Logan said with guilt in his voice. "I don't like it much, but we don't have much of a choice."

Danielle grinned. "So, what's the plan?"

Oddly enough, the two older mutants stared at Danielle with exasperation. She was not fazed though, knowing in her heart that she could handle it. She had the power, held it in her hands and used it so well that even she was amazed. To hell with what Jay needed and why he was being a jerk. _She_ needed to be with full powers and able to kick some ass.

"What?" she asked. "You agreed to keep me with you."

Roger sighed. "Sadly, although I think you in the way of things this time, you are needed down there and need to continue your training. However, you're going to listen to what we have to say or I'll make your life a living hell when we get back to the school. Got it?"

"Yes." Danielle was going to agree to anything, just to save Jean, Ororo and the others. "What are we doing?"

"Waiting for a second to head down there," Logan said, staring at the stage now. "Once it clears a little more, we move. Once Roger assembles his people, we move closer. With all of them out of there, we make a break for it."

"And we never stop," Roger added, hoping to scare Danielle. "If we stop, we are nothing. If we stop, those people down there will rip us to shreds…and there would be more victims of this macabre masquerade today."


	21. Disappearing Acts

Danielle tried to make herself as invisible as possible as she walked on alone towards the stage. She could not draw much more power as she did before (thinking that Jay blocked her from the additional supply she took from him before) and was fading in and out of existence, as seen from the human eye. However, she was able to get to the stage with little problem, trying to find out where exactly the mutants had been hiding. Nobody was concerned with her location much longer for now, choosing the remaining parts of the town as their playground and the lingering people walking their victims, human or mutant. There was no discrimination this time, which made Danielle wonder what Ellis would make of it once he heard of it.

 _Oh, he wouldn't care. Senator Ellis isn't going to care about a few more lives, just as long as he can run around and do what he wants to._

That much Danielle was sure on. However, as she thought of how she was going to proceed, she was also thinking that she was sure that being the distraction and then having Logan grab her wasn't much fun either. Roger's men were all around her too, readying for the time they would need to rescue those people under the stage. She watched them in the background, seeing them inch together and mingling with those left behind that hardly paid attention, maybe pushing back a few that got too rowdy. While Danielle saw some fighting, she was sure that she was the only person the others outside would see that was standing out. That made it much more exciting than standing back and watching it all happen from afar.

Cautiously, she approached the stage, walking around it a few times to find some human-sized hole or hidden entranceway underneath it. Danielle found nothing and stopped behind, suddenly surprised to see Nightcrawler pop up in front of her. He reached for her, touching her body in an embrace and making them both disappear. Before Danielle knew it, she was engulfed in darkness, seeing flashes of light and what seemed like a million set of eyes on her. She was dizzy and nauseous from the ride though, pushing all of those feeling back in order to be clearheaded.

"Hello?" she called out, knowing only Nightcrawler to be nearby her. "Hello? Who's here?"

Voices were raised in hushed tones. Many of them quieted down as soon as they saw footsteps in the lights around them. Breathing in stale air and the scent of fear, Danielle scanned around with her mind, trying to find maybe Jean or Ororo, maybe to get them to round everyone up and get out. She passed Matthew, which was a relief, and Jubilee, who was as petulant as ever. She soon reached Jean, which surprised the telepath. Danielle felt her jump and hit her head against the wood, which merited some stifled laughter from Ororo. It caught Jean's attention though and that was what mattered the most to Danielle.

 _Jean? What's happened? Why are you all here?_ Danielle didn't dare intrude on the others' thoughts and knew this was the easiest route.

Jean licked her dry lips, gauging what Danielle knew before answering. _Senator Ellis and his…well, his cronies…went after us. You didn't hear the speech, did you?_

 _No, I didn't._ Danielle was ashamed in not paying attention and didn't want to tell Jean what she was doing.

 _Well, he called upon everyone to take revenge upon the mutants for what they supposedly did. He claimed that they started this war, prompting our enemies to make the strike, and the humans needed to finish it off overseas and at home. He's proposing everything, from mutant tests to push them out of the job force, making separate mutant schools unlike ours and killing those who join the military._

Jay _…oh, my God, Jean, they're going to kill him. They're going to find out he's a mutant!_

 _Danielle, pull yourself together! Jay can take care of himself, I'm sure, so don't worry. We have other worries now. This isn't a game anymore. Senator Ellis just started a riot in Salem Center and your brother is heading overseas. To answer your question, we all gathered here, little by little. Matthew managed to build over the hole we made to get through and Nightcrawler grabs anyone I sense is nearby._

 _That's how you found me a few minutes ago._

 _Other than I can feel you and your aura a mile away._

 _I was nearby most of the time anyway, Jean. You could have connected to me instead of being unavailable when I tried to communicate with you._

 _And you were lost before I knew it and we could not use our powers, for fear someone would see or hear us. What happened to you, Danielle? Storm and I looked everywhere for you before this started and were afraid someone killed you._

Danielle sighed. _You don't want to know. I'll talk later. Now, there's men out there, people who are willing to get us out of here._

 _Don't tell me Roger is out there._

 _Logan too._

Now, Jean sighed. _All right. What's the plan?_

 _Well, now that Nightcrawler can take people in and out, I think he can do the same again. One at a time, he can get people out and Roger's men can lead them out of town or even back to the school._

 _Distractions?_

 _It was supposed to be me before a certain someone took away the fun. Now, Logan is going to wonder where I am._

 _I'll work on it with Storm._

Danielle seemed reassured, but there was still an uneasy feeling inside of her. She did not notice it throughout the chase out and back with Roger, however persistent it was. Instead, to dispel it, she turned to Nightcrawler. He was chatting with someone in German, so fast that Danielle did not understand it (neither did the recipient, she saw). She learned it as a younger child, when her grandmother was alive and refused to speak English, and was seeing the opportunity. She interjected gently into the conversation, asking Nightcrawler in German if he can help.

"What do you need?" Nightcrawler asked in the same language.

"Roger's men are out there, waiting for us," Danielle continued as everyone stared at her in confusion, wondering what was being said. "I need you to transport everyone out of here. They'll grab each person and escort them to safety."

"You promise?" Nightcrawler's dark eyes shone at Danielle with such trust. "You promise me that there's men out there, to take us out of there?"

"I do," Danielle replied fervently, switching back to English so that others would understand her. "They're waiting for me actually. With your help, we can get everyone out of here, one at a time, and escape back to the school or to the homes the rest of them belong to. Ok?"

Danielle put a hand out, to establish trust. Nightcrawler took it, grinning. Then, he picked the nearest person to him, disappeared quickly, and reappeared a few minutes later. The look on his face showed Danielle that the plan was working. From there, she watched as he took one person at a time and came back to bring another outside. From a distance, Danielle heard the sound of thunder and saw lightning flash. While she knew that Ororo could only work the weather for so long, she also sensed that the riot was slowing down and that they would be able to leave unmolested.

Finally, it was down to her, Jean and Ororo. While the storm receded as naturally as Ororo could make it, Nightcrawler came back, now soaked to the skin with water. He grabbed Ororo first on Danielle's prompt (Ororo even gave her a face of complaint before going) and then came back for Jean, who was about to beg to be last before leaving with him. Finally, after waiting an anxious five minutes, Nightcrawler came back under the stage, but his face easily betrayed that something had happened. He motioned to Danielle in frantic motions.

"What?" Danielle asked in German. "What's happening?"

"We have no time," Nightcrawler replied in the same language. "We must go."

Before Danielle could say another word, she was back outside. She tried standing up, feeling cramped from staying in the same cramped position for a long time, and found herself on the ground again, rolling around to avoid trampling feet, seeing it as frantic people trying to escape something horrible. She did not know how it happened or why or even where Nightcrawler had disappeared off to. All she knew was that the rioting had slowed down, but then had started right back up again a short time ago. Something had sparked the final phase of Ellis' work before it would truly end. All she needed to do was break from it.

Struggling to get up, Danielle rolled over one last time and pressed her body against the stage, hoping to make herself invisible. She succeeded (thanking Jay, wherever he was now), getting up and climbing the stairs to where the podium stood. Ducking when she heard some gunfire, she checked the immediate area from her position on the wooden floor. From the left, she saw that some businesses had been burning in a blaze, one that she knew Roger did not start (the color and feel was different). To the right, the others were being looted and glass was being littered all over the streets and sidewalks. Below, there was too much for her to comprehend, too many people to process in her mind. In her heart, she started realizing that this was no game, like Jean said. This was for real…and she was a living target.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind. Danielle immediately struggled, kicking and screaming as she sensed the maleficent presence, becoming visible as she attempted to disable her attacker. He turned her right around, his grin looking almost delicious to see her, the tongue licking the ruby red mouth with delight. His hands locked onto Danielle's wrists, swinging her around like a rag doll to a nearby pole holding an American flag and leaving her exposed as her back stayed against the shaft. His knee went to her abdomen area, holding her in place tighter than the wrist lock, and shoved. It caused Danielle to almost keel over in pain, but she held on, instead sucking on her breath to never give the man satisfaction.

"Let me go!" Danielle yelled to forget about the pain, twisting one way and managing to get the knee off of her. "Go to hell!"

Tipping the man off balance and his hands loosened from her wrists, Danielle managed to start running away and tried to become invisible once more, although the man had been able to find her before. Before she got far though, the man grabbed her from behind, holding her ankle on his hands and pulling her back.

"Nobody tells a man he can't have what he wants," the attacker declared, finally grabbing Danielle and turning her around before holding her by the shoulders.

Unexpectedly, three large silver tips went through the man's chest, paralyzing him as blood dripped down his shirt and started choking him. He let go of Danielle, allowing her to freefall backwards and land on her back. She observed the whole action as if it were a movie, seeing the victor pull the blades from the man's chest and emerging triumphant from the fight from behind. Danielle could not be happier to see Logan as he retracted his claws, taking his outstretched hand and feeling his tug to run, down the stairs and past the new anarchy that erupted in town.

Dodging the instantaneous danger as Danielle obeyed the silent command, Logan passed the fires on the left and headed to the first major intersection in Salem Center, taking a right and pulling Danielle into one of the local bakeries. He looked around quickly, seeing nothing except a mess and the back doorway. He ushered Danielle right through without her complaining about being controlled, directing her to the stairs. They went up, passing the few floors of apartments above the store, and headed towards the lone exit on the roof, seeing the town as they did before and choosing not to fight it anymore. Immediately, before he allowed Danielle to look any further, Logan guided her to the edge, towards the next building.

"Jump," Logan ordered harshly.

Danielle looked up and then down to the ground, seeing what Logan was telling her to do. "I…I can't."

"You have to," Logan said sternly. "Jump to the next one or die."

Shaking, Danielle took Logan's hand and climbed up to the ledge and looked down at the street once more. "Can you throw me?"

"Got no throwing arm, but I sure as hell can try," Logan confirmed.

It wasn't reassuring, but Danielle had no choice. She knew that she could not make the jump from the bakery to whatever the next building was, even though it seemed like a short hop. There was no chance she would make it. Falling to her death some stories down was not her idea of the end of her life, although she had control over that and possibly would give into the light that always beckoned to her. She had a great fear of being high above the ground too, something she was not ready to admit to Logan just yet.

Taking a deep breath, Logan grabbed Danielle quickly and tossed her as hard as he could over the small distance. He watched as she landed on the other side, rolling against cement as her face scraped and her hands turned raw from the friction burn. Then, taking some running steps backwards as Danielle stood up and moved to one side, he propelled himself forward, using the ledge as a springboard to get to the other side as well. Just as he was halfway across though, he heard a shot, knowing that it was too late to turn back. Feeling the bullet run through his head until it reached the back of his skull, Logan felt the rapid healing powers knit himself back together, although it was hardly a perfect scene as he skidded to a stop near Danielle's feet, groaning as he laid on his stomach and spilled some blood.

The eleven year old was terrified. "Logan?!" she screamed, kneeling before the older mutant and shaking his shoulders that were covered in the red substance. "Logan, please don't be dead yet. I need you. Logan?!"

"Not…dead yet," Logan whispered, getting onto his back and cracking his neck, pushing Danielle's amateur ministrations aside. The bullet popped itself out of his forehead, which seemed to fright Danielle even more.

"Oh, my God," she said, soon repeating the phrase over and over again, much louder than the last time. "Oh, my God! Oh, my _God_!"

Logan had no time for the hysterics, knowing that they were going to be followed once more. He got up without appearing damaged in any way, shaking his head free from the last of the pain, and took Danielle by the shoulders, shaking them to get some sense into her. By then, the kid was trembling so hard that her knees were buckling and she was about to collapse. Logan had to resist the temptation to slap it out of her, realizing for the first time he was now treating her like an adult and not the child that she really was. He could not afford to take away her childhood, especially at a time like this.

 _You're too late. Her childhood was ruined long before you came into the picture._

The thought chilled Logan, but not enough to immobilize him into fear. "We gotta get out of here," he said, echoing the sentiment until Danielle stopped her moaning and paid attention to him. "Just listen to me. We'll get back to the school. I promise you."

"Jean and Storm and Matthew and Nightcrawler?" Danielle asked in a whisper, feeling the tears wanting to come down and forcing them not to. "Will they be there?"

"I can't promise you that, kid, but I sure hope they are." Loan ached for a cigar that was in his pocket, but had no time to smoke, feeling the heavy weight of Danielle already on his shoulders. "That's the price of war, kid. You win some and you lose some. Sometimes, it gets tricky and the good guys will lose and the bad will win. It's not a movie or some shitty TV show. It's real life. That's what you need to cope with though. You can't let it consume you and you can't let it win. Got it?"

Danielle nodded, still feeling the unease settle deeper into her body.

"Good." Logan nodded too. "Let's get out of here."


	22. Introductions

It was after the sun had set and the nightly shadows had returned that they arrived back at the mansion. Logan was already carrying Danielle over his shoulder by then, smoking his wanted cigar at long last and feeling her dead weight over his already weary body. By the time they had reached the more wooded areas of Salem Center, she had finally crumped to the ground as exhaustion hit her body and Logan had to grab her before she fell and hurt herself even more. Already, he knew that this was the first step. The girl had shed her first blood and had seen disaster up close, like she had wanted to. Now, it was the wait game, to see what she would do with it and for how long.

Luckily, as Logan entered the school's front doors and went up to the second floor (the last of his cigar in his pants pocket), he noticed that everyone from the school who was at the rally was not killed. Some had been hurt though, having been jostled around as Roger's men pulled them to safety. Jean was sure to take care of them all if she could, he knew, although he was also certain that some would be like Danielle, taking the time to process the day and recover from it. Physical scars weren't the ones Logan was worried about. It was the ones on the inside, the mental ones that nobody knew about, always when it was too late.

Approaching the bedroom Danielle shared with Jean and Ororo within seconds, Logan opened the door without preamble with one hand, seeing the two older mutants on their beds, whispering in worried tones. They were startled to see the pair alive and not hurt, but had taken the time to express wordlessly how grateful they were to see them. Logan then put Danielle on her bed, motioning to Jean to tend to her, and turned around to leave. Without another word as he went and closed the door, he went straight downstairs, turning to Xavier's office. He knew the Professor to be in at this hour. Xavier knew that it would not do to worry the students even more by fretting and causing them to be anxious. He stayed where he normally was, tending to his business with Hank and sometimes Alex and seeing any students that might need an ear or some assistance.

The door was open. Logan entered without knocking, seeing Roger in a seat as well, his head bowed and almost in shame. While Hank, Xavier and even Alex (all three behind the desk) had the most obvious disapproving look to their faces, Logan still had the decency to close the door behind him. Although he disagreed with about everything Roger was about and anything he did, Logan still did not feel the upcoming serious conversations to be of anyone's business, his own especially. He waited the few silent seconds until the three saw him and acknowledged him. He nodded to Xavier alone, waiting as his glance went back to Roger.

"I think we can leave this for another time," Xavier said fiercely, his tone too obvious to discern. "There is enough trouble as it is and we would need you to be there, as we order it."

"But Logan would testify to the same, Charles," Roger said, speaking in the same tone as Xavier and now hiding his embarrassment as he lifted his head in defiance. "You can ask him yourself. The girl is a fighter. Danielle can be trained to my will and she will excel even to your highest expectations. She will be an assassin if we headed down that road and one that nobody would be able to defeat."

"She's too young," Alex declared, an opinion that seemed to be echoed by the other two, Logan noted. "It would be better to use the others who have been tested and earned their wings. You could have a pick of the best, older and more experienced. Hell, you can use my brother, for all I care, since he's a born leader and would work out any situation himself. You can wait for Jay Mitchell to come when he's on leave, for all I care, and use his military training. You _cannot_ use Danielle Mitchell though. I forbid it. She's eleven years old and already has seen enough because of you and Logan."

 _So, this is what it's truly about_. Logan knew that it spelled trouble, especially since he too used Danielle to their means. The three behind the desk must have known of some of the events that led to this, not the person they used so shamelessly.

"And appearing in every way to be eighteen or so," Roger argued fiercely. "She has the mentality, strength and smarts to get through any situation, like your brother does. She's got guts. Leadership, we can work on, but she's taken a lead on a lot of things herself."

"She also has a rebellious streak and is a loner," Hank pointed out, which made Logan believe that the blue mutant knew about the pranks in recent times.

"We can break her of it," Roger announced, something he seemed intent on doing.

"I doubt it," Logan said, breaking into the conversation at long last as the eyes now fell on him. "She didn't listen to me when I told her to stay put. What makes you think we can make her obedient? It's natural for a kid to act like a hotshot rebel. That's what makes life so appealing."

"She listened the second time around." Roger crossed his arms. "She managed to think through the problem, use someone by gaining trust and made herself last."

"Yeah, and almost got raped and killed, had I not been there."

"She try escaping?"

"Sure, bub, if you call amateur moves escaping. Nobody has trained her for something like this. I wanted her out the second time and she literally used herself so others could be freed."

"She's used to sacrifice, Logan. The girl has spent her life pleasing others and ensuring that they have it all and she has nothing. Can't you see that?"

Xavier listened to the arguments carefully (especially between Roger and Logan), but soon had to weigh in his opinion. "I still agree with Hank and Alex. Danielle is much too young to be a part of this life, Roger, although I have other ideas. She has too much to deal with as it is and adding more fuel to a fire would be costly, not just for us, but for her as well. On the other hand, it seems like Ellis has shown his hand. If this keeps going, as we are seeing it will, she might have to be thrown in. Teller, Chameleon and Ellis seem to be more interested in her and sometimes Jay. Why? Why would they insist on taking two mutants with duel powers and using them in an anti-mutant movement?"

"Ellis has been using mutants to his advantage," Alex chimed in. "He could be using them for another purpose."

"And one I am hoping would not bother Jay." Hank adjusted his glasses for a minute, pretending not to be personally involved. "At this point, if Ellis does what he is threatening, the whole mutant community would be at risk, more so than ever before. We could be heading into another apocalypse."

The word hung over everyone's head heavily, even if that mutant was long gone. Although almost a decade ago, the incident that led to the destruction and gathering of future X-Men still weighed on their consciences deeply. It gained them friends and enemies and they lost more equally. However, it was not internal that this new annihilation would be. It would be an outside force, one that watched them much more cautiously than many others did and one that would use that to his advantage.

"If we stop it before it spreads, we won't go there, but I am seeing our efforts are too slow and can't run alongside Ellis." Roger waved his hand in dismissal. "We need to strike low and hard before it gets any further. We lost too much already and more might be on the list. Today was just the beginning. If Ellis can bring so many people together for the typical American cause and then use the occasion to speak out against the mutants, he can use it again and again."

"We don't know that," Hank began, but Xavier put his hand up to silence him.

"We should assume that Ellis has a pathway that would lead him to this," Xavier countered. "This is only the beginning. We need to throw something out there, to show that we are serious, and work from there."

"Throw out a fish hook." Roger grinned. "That's easily done."

"I did not say that I needed you to do it, Roger." Xavier looked at Logan. "Danielle alone trusts you lately, Logan."

"We can't begin this now, Professor," Logan protested. "You yourself said that Danielle was too young."

"I did," Xavier conceded, "but I never said that she wasn't going to be used right now."

"You want her to be introduced?" Logan asked, seeing where this was going.

"Nothing more," Xavier clarified. "In and out. That's all I want."

Even Alex was surprised. "Charles, we can't allow this."

"If we do not keep our end of the bargain, what are they to think of us?" Xavier asked. "I do not like those targeting children, but we have no choice at this point. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one, as it is often said. If Jay manages to get back into that bar when he is on leave, I am sure that they will be appeased for now."

"One young girl holds more interest than a grown man," Alex pointed out. "That might be too much temptation for Teller. Remember, he takes in the runaways. Danielle would be more prone to join them."

"I cannot forget." Xavier paused, turning back to Logan. "One night, no more than an hour. No heavy drinking and nothing alcoholic for Danielle. Understand, Logan?"

Although Logan saw that Roger, Alex and Hank did not seem excited at the prospect of this happening, he had to nod in agreement. Xavier was not pleased by his decision, but he was right in some ways. It was getting more and more obvious that the Mitchell siblings were needed for something planned by Ellis and that they needed to show some faith before infiltrating. Danielle needed to be seen by Teller and ultimately Chameleon.

Roger soon stood up, stretching his legs in exaggeration. "If you all would excuse me, I have some wooing to do before tending to more of the world's problems."

" _Sit_ ," Xavier ordered, which Roger did immediately. "We have yet to conclude."

"What would you need?" Roger asked, sighing as his thoughts strayed back to Mae. Logan was sure about it, knowing the two had been together on and off for many years.

"An account of the day, from the time you both met Danielle until you came here," Xavier simply replied, the statement referring to Logan as well. "I would prefer to know of the facts before I see the whole picture."

"What would that be?" Logan asked, unsure of he wanted to know the answer. "What whole picture?"

"Another piece of the puzzle, Logan, nothing more." Xavier again paused, debating whether or not he wanted to tell the two before him or not and deciding to anyway. "I am trying to complete a file on Danielle and Jayden Mitchell and their powers, which have bewildered us for a long time. The only thing we could see is that, although ten years apart in age, they are able to chain their powers and add and subtract to the others'. It's what Hank has called a Phantom Spectrum. The two are ghosts of one and would reach their powers to the fullest potential, if they could reach that range. Today might be a sample of things to come, a warning to the future about their dangerous powers."

~00~

It was a typical Saturday night at Teller's bar, even though the town had just gone through hell a few days before and cleanup was still ongoing. Logan managed to get through the usual crowds and in past Snake Eyes with his guest. The mutant at the door regarded the girl Logan brought with him with passive eyes, noting it as he closed the doors and declared the bar to be at the fullest capacity. He soon was following Logan and his guest – Danielle – and whispering something in Teller's ear as the two climbed on stools by the counter. As Snake Eyes left though, Teller looked at the pair with interested eyes, taking beer out for Logan and a soda for Danielle.

"What brings you here, Wolverine?" Teller asked Logan, leaning on the counter between the latter and Danielle as they drank, the cold pitcher of beer between them. "Got a hot date we need to find a room for?"

Logan snorted through the beer, taking out a cigar to smoke. "Naw. She's just a kid."

"Really?" Teller looked at Danielle suspiciously as she sipped on her Pepsi and looked around in excitement. "A girl I need to hide?"

Logan lit up his cigar and spoke through the smoke. "No, not this one. This is Danielle Mitchell, Jay's little sister."

"Danielle… _Mitchell_?" Teller squinted as he checked the younger mutant out. "Really? I didn't realize that she had grown up."

"Cut the shit, Teller. She's only eleven."

"I could hardly tell. She looks older than that. What brings her here though?"

"Token of my esteem to you. She's not yours for the taking yet, but you're getting a taste of things to come."

Teller laughed. "Nobody has respect for me, Logan. They only fear me. And teasing isn't going to get you anywhere."

"No? Well, I thought you'd love to see her now, before she runs off to school again."

"I wouldn't be so worried about her right now, Logan. There are others to be more concerned with."

"Oh? Who's on your hit list this year?"

Again, Teller laughed. "Who am I to say?"

Logan regarded Teller with way eyes, returning to his cigar and beer. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Danielle on his other side carefully. After losing interest in the bar life, she had been listening to the conversation the whole time, he knew, and probably did not know what to think about it. She was young and inexperienced, Logan decided, and was not apt to check for clues in this game. She wasn't going to be pondering about the worlds' affairs anytime soon, even though she had been pretty quiet about what happened earlier in the week. Indeed, Logan chose this night to bring Danielle because she had been calm ( _too_ calm, he had to admit) and the rally did not seem to faze her much.

Jean had said the same too, when he asked. When Danielle woke up the next morning, the budding doctor said that the younger girl was up and running, ready for her classes again and anxious to bury herself in it as she normally did. She showed no sign of emotion, her mind cleared from the events from the day before. It was like it never happened, Jean said. The memories were still there, but Danielle refused to see them, choosing to push them away and continue on with life as if nothing happened. She handled it well outwardly and would not show if she was hurting internally.

Logan was so lost in his thoughts that he did not notice Teller motion him to the side. When he awoke from his reverie, he shook his head, getting up from his stool in an annoyed manner and following the bar owner to the corner of the counter, without his beer and still smoking the cigar. There wasn't much activity there and nobody could hear them, but Logan was sure that Danielle could listen in just fine, if she wanted to.

"How much does she know?" Teller asked, his thumb pointing at Danielle.

"Most likely nothing, if we keep our mouths shut," Logan acknowledged rudely.

"Listen, Logan, you know my game and I know yours, but there's nothing much we can do about it." Teller sighed, allowing a mask to fall and having Logan see something he did not expect, one that he knew was that of a double agent. "Sadly, this one is destined for the worst to come. I wish I could spare her, because she seems like a smart kid and all, but it's not to be. I have no clue what is needed from her. I just see some heartbreak for her and a hell of a life ahead."

"What do you mean?" Logan could not help but feel the panic rising out of him.

"What? You didn't know?" Teller glared at Logan in what seemed like sympathy, a first for the bar owner. "It won't be her that would die until maybe the very end. One by one, the people she loves will fall and die. Year after year, she'll feel trapped in a prison not of her choosing, one that she would be thrown into without just cause. Days will pass endlessly, one after another, and she will feel herself break into a thousand pieces…and there's nothing we can do to save her or the others. In this entertainment many humans are finding amusing, Logan, we are just in the arena to live or die. It's of our choosing to save ourselves and run…or pick up those pieces and perhaps die too."

* * *

 **The saying from Xavier ("The needs of the many...") comes from _Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan._ It's also a running theme throughout the next movies as well.**


	23. Christmas Tragedies

**December 22, 1990**

The Christmas season was finally upon them. Xavier had ensured that the children remaining behind would be welcome and joyous on a holiday in which they should be with their families, although most had been rejected. Logan found it all rubbish, if he had to be honest with himself (he found every holiday to be stupid, but that was not the point), and sat in a window as he watched the children decorate a large tree Hank and Alex managed to pull inside as the ultimate surprise. The lights had been wrapped around it already and now the shiny, old ornaments from long ago were being pulled out. Jean even called out that she had tinsel and Ororo said that she had the garland.

All and all, it was an affair that seemed too much of a false sense of security. Logan saw through the façade, feeling that danger was in the air. For months, it seemed as if things were on edge, especially in Salem Center, where cleanup was easy and feelings harder to change. Already, signs of Ellis' work had left their mark and it wasn't getting any better. People felt so full of themselves denying mutants everything, from going to their churches to picking up desserts at a local bakery. Even as recently as the week before, Hank was even given a letter from a company that delivered the food for the cafeteria, stating that they don't service mutants and those associated to them. It took him hours to find a new company to deliver food, but that had been difficult, since he, as well as Xavier, had been well-known mutants.

This holiday seemed to cheer the kids up though, Logan noted, although the adults had been trying to keep up with the excitement. Aching to go outside and not be ordered in (Xavier requesting that he make sure the children don't argue as they decorated the tree), he blinked his eyes several times with the lights and shiny ornaments, adjusting to the unusual childish cheer that comes with it. While Scott had arrived with a ladder and challenged everyone to hurry up so the angel could be put on the top, Jean had come with the saintly figure, her thin fingers curled around it as she stood near Scott. The two were more and more of a pair and hardly kissed and told anyone, but Logan thought that Jean deserved better. It wasn't that he hated Scott, who excelled at everything he did (ok, well, he kinda did hate his guts). He thought that Alex's younger brother wasn't worthy of the redheaded college student that sought to stay in the school that taught her so much.

Logan had to regard Jean with newer eyes though, seeing her covered in an beatific light. _She is kinda pretty. She's not a kid…grown, mature and with a mind of her own._

All the while that Logan was admiring Jean, Fiona came to sit beside him. Logan sensed that she was nearby immediately, turning his attention from one woman to the next. Jay's wife, the once beaten and clingy human teenager, had turned into a woman who occupied a place of mutants with ease, and for some months now too. Her blonde hair shone brighter than it had before. Her face was etched with worry lines and a very wrinkles, but that was to be expected of any Army wife. She was more confident of who she was and what she wanted out of life. Even so, she was more social and that annoyed Logan a little.

 _At least she doesn't have the baby with her…_

"Where's Danielle?" Logan asked, noticing for the first time that the vivacious girl was not in sight.

"Oh, I sent her home last night," Fiona replied cheerfully. "My mother-in-law had it in her head to make Christmas a special holiday this year and asked for Danielle to come home. I don't blame that girl for digging her heels in as she did, but Shannon needs company this time of year in particular."

"Yeah, I wouldn't blame Shannon either."

"I wouldn't talk, Logan. You seemed to be clashing with Shannon too. You side with Danielle."

"That's beside the point. That was one incident I ran into Shannon though. I've been keeping clear of that bitch ever since, if I could help it."

Fiona laughed. "You can describe her that way, I'd say, and it'll be the best. She's very pushy and determined."

"What do you mean?" Logan asked, feeling like the millionth time he's ever inquired.

"I love her being there for Jax, but she doesn't know boundaries," Fiona explained, which told Logan everything.

He only nodded. "You gonna be there with Danielle?"

"I would assume so," Fiona replied nonchalantly. "Shannon would expect it and I know Danielle would love to be saved. However, the Base Mommy for the enlisted and the one for the officers is also hosting a Christmas Eve party too. She's invited me and Jax. I have also sent one out to my parents for Christmas Day too, but they have yet to response. I don't even think they've seen Jax yet either. However, I am sure the Professor would still allow us to escape here in the evening. Alex even said so."

There was a small tone of sadness in there. However, Fiona wasn't allowing it to ruin her holiday. She seemed more excited than ever before to be a part of something and it showed, much more than being an Army wife and being in a mutant school. She was living mostly on the base, but she also had been appearing more often at the school since September, from what Logan had seen and suddenly remembered. What it was for, he did not know, but it was keeping her busy. That was what matters, Logan figured. She was so preoccupied with things that she did not think about the bad.

"You gonna tell me some more news?" Logan asked.

Fiona beamed. "It hasn't been made official yet. I can't say."

"I'm making a bet on the Professor getting you a job here. Explains your presence here."

"Gee, I feel loved, Logan. Still not saying anything though, not even to you."

"You don't have to, honey." Logan patted Fiona on the shoulder, planning on heading out into the cold for some time alone, ignoring the order to watch the children. "I think you've said enough."

Logan was about to make his own disappearing act when Fiona called him over. He turned around, heading back to the window seat. He stood before her, expecting another silly statement or some sort of positive affirmation, but did not see a kiss coming. Fiona went for his forehead, lingering a little longer than was seemly, and grinned when she saw Logan's face. It was an amusement to her maybe or some sort of forbidden activity. Logan could not tell. All he knew was that she was feeling proud of herself and a little grateful also.

"Thank you," Fiona said. "Thank you for looking out for Danielle. If she was alone, I knew that you'd still be there, standing as her friend."

And with that, she left him. Logan remained in his position, tolerating the lights from the tree for the moment. He did not recall how and why it happened, but he was sure that Fiona was a little lonely from being that kind of wife too, although she had been observing her new world with curiosity and new eyes. She needed Jay back desperately and she was more than willing to look out for his family, even though she was slowly driving herself insane with it. She was glad to find a place she belonged too, and one that she couldn't have dreamt possible either.

~00~

As Logan later found out, he was one of the last people to see Fiona Mitchell. As soon as she left him that fateful day in December 1990, she went upstairs to Jay's room, where she and Jax had been residing, and departed from the mansion. Despite the snowstorm that was swirling around New York when she left the grounds, she took the risk of driving to the farmhouse. She arrived safely, staying there until the appointed hour of the Christmas Eve party at the base a few days later. Although Jax had fallen ill with a cold, she still chose to leave. Shannon and Danielle had insisted on it too, saying that she needed to be alone and not worry about being a mother for once.

The head of the enlisted personnel wives (and even the one in charge of the officers' wives) said that Fiona reached the party on time and even helped some women cope with a holiday without their loved ones. It was a night everyone easily recalled as the best they had in some time, one in which a new wife and mother provided comfort when others could not. Fiona had been amazing with the other women, talking to this and that one and calming some children. Nobody minded that she didn't bring the baby with her either, seeing it as her golden hour. Everyone expected that Jax, being so sick, would stay with her in-laws anyway.

After midnight, after cleaning up and talking with the wife of the commanding officer, Fiona took the car and left, despite the warnings of an ice storm from the other women. From the official report written by a New York state trooper, it stated that she was driving slightly below the speed limit during the beginnings of this particular storm when she hit a patch of black ice and the car went off the road, rolling and landing in a ditch upside down. That much seemed to be true, when the car was found the following morning. A dead body had even been retrieved, injured beyond recognition, and taken to the local morgue.

Christmas Day had been dismal with the accident so much on their minds, although the students at the school enjoyed the day without the gruesome details on their minds. Logan, as well as the rest of the school faculty, waited in breathless anticipation, to see what would happen next, since the investigation seemed too mysterious to begin with and the details of the accident too sketchy. It seemed too convenient though, especially in the light of the events not even two years ago. A very young and vibrant woman, in the prime of her youth, cut down by a patch of ice seemed too tragic and unreal, especially with it being less than a year than her child was born and Jay deployed overseas.

Mae and Roger had opted to go to the morgue with Shannon to identify the body the day after Christmas, knowing the holiday best not to be one where they saw death. By the time the newly-established couple had reached the farmhouse though, it was Danielle who waited for them outside, Jax in her arms. Shannon had been too ill with grief that Mae had to stay behind with her and Jax and Roger stay Danielle off to see the body. From what had been reported by Roger to Hank, Alex, Logan and Xavier, Danielle had stayed still behind the glass, watching as the coroner moved the sheet up to show the face.

"It's not her," Roger declared in the closed door meeting when he returned later that day. "The face might have looked similar, but Danielle knew it wasn't her sister-in-law at a glance. She announced that it was not Fiona, yelled at the captain about it too. She was in hysterics. I had an officer escort her out, since she seemed too upset, and checked it out myself. She was right. That body in the morgue, that they said was in the car, is not Fiona Mitchell."

"Why would someone plant a body at a scene of an accident, if the police did not lie?" Hank wondered out loud.

"To think Fiona was dead," Alex replied. "It's possible someone is hiding her, to keep her as a prisoner of good will, and tempt Jay back."

"Oh, he'll be coming back now," Logan predicted. "Who knows if he'll be discharged though?"

"It's highly possible," Xavier added. "However, there are a few things that bother even me. There is no doubt that Fiona hit a patch of black ice and skid off of the road. I would not dispute that fact, nor that a body that resembled her was later found. However, it's possible that the scene was turned into something totally different than what we thought. I do agree. Fiona is out there alive."

"How can we find out though?" Logan asked.

"We can use Cerebro, but it's not a guarantee because of too many factors," Xavier answered. "It'll take a lot of concentration and probing. Someone might want her believed to be dead and have the tools to hide her. We need to push through that and locate her."

"For Jay's sake, I would hope so," Roger stated. "He's hotheaded. If grief would not get to him, his training would."

Roger was right. The four with him realized that with some alarm. If Jay was too grief-stricken to lay low and hide for a while, then he would be out there, hunting down clues and using everything he had to find his wife, dead or alive. The other concern would be his son, now missing his mother and perhaps his father too. Logan knew that the boy was not yet a year old and already spun in too much tragedy that even Shakespeare would have a play out of it. It would be worse for him than for Danielle. Jax would truly know what it would be like without true parental love.

"Then, let's hope we're able to find Fiona," Alex offered. "If we don't, we now have a new twist in this issue with Ellis."

"Who else would be do this?" Hank asked in agreement. "Ellis has been interested in us for too long. We'll see what Teller can say to us."

"I would hope he would say something," Logan added, keeping the fact that he thought Teller a double agent to himself still. "If not, I'm going to have to shake it out of him. I cannot bear hurt in a family already bleeding. This goes too far, even for us. This hits too close to home. We cannot afford it again, not now and never again."


	24. Uncovering the Truth

It was nearer to New Years' Eve when Logan finally got the chance to sit at the counter at Teller's bar to see if there was information to be had. He wasn't even anywhere closer to getting the bar owner's attention though, this night being so crowded and all. Throughout Christmas until now, Teller had been too busy with other more essential patrons, pouring drinks for this important person and that. Logan even smelled Chameleon about during the course of the night, sneaking into the bar itself and stealing a sip or two of Jack Daniels left behind for him before departing. He almost went after the Mitchell siblings' father just out of pure rage, but thought better of it. It was best to sit and wait and to calm the storm inside of him.

While people milled to and from the counter, one person caught Logan's attention when the morning hours finally turned closer to dawn. Walking in as if he belonged there although his body gestures suggested nervousness, Jay entered and immediately sat next to the older mutant, yelling at Snake Eyes behind him to get him top shelf liquor. While the so-called bouncer complied and even limited him to two shot glasses, Jay steadied his shaking hands and took the shots. He asked for more, but Snake Eyes gave him a face that told him that it was a denied request. Jay then asked for Jack Daniels, which was easily given. Three shots later, Jay, red in the face and braver than he ever was, was turning to Logan.

"Seems like you're here pretty often," Jay said, his voice betraying everything.

"Gotta be," Logan replied, noticing that his pitcher was empty and he was aching for something else to drink. "It's getting too stale though."

"You're telling me. I think I've been seeing the same crowds here for years. Does it ever change here?"

"Yeah, you and I know that it won't ever change. However, I'm seeing more than the usual filth tonight."

Jay squinted. "Yeah, you're right. There's the bosses."

Logan had to laugh. "It does look like the scum lords of Salem Center are out in their finest tonight."

Afterward, the two went into an uneasy silence. Logan ordered another pitcher of beer, for himself and Jay, and waited until Snake Eyes came with the new pitcher and two new clean glasses and gathered the dirty ones. Jay thanked Logan and downed the cold beer he poured quickly, thinking perhaps that it wasn't a great idea to mix what he had already in his system. However, from the times he's been overseas, he did not care. In his eyes, there were images of things he'd rather soon forget – women dying, children killed and fires never quenched. Drinking was a way to cope, a way to make him forget everything…the way to make him bolder than he ever will feel.

"So, how did you get here so quickly?" Logan asked, noting the sudden change in Jay.

"Huh?" Jay went from his drink to Logan, his eyes still revealing his fears. "Oh, yeah. They got me on the next plane out of the sandbox. Arrived here some hours ago and sat for a while before I found a pay phone. Called Roger from outside of the airport. He picked me up and took my things to the farmhouse. I insisted that he drop me off here first, before I have to face them."

Logan knew what he meant. "Are you discharged?"

"Reserve," Jay replied. "It was that or a hardship discharge with no guarantee to be honorable. It would be general or worse. I chose the easier way out, to at least have a job on the weekends and to be kicking around when I'm needed. I could get another job in the meantime."

"What are you planning?"

"Well, I've heard that Teller's been needing another bouncer or server, since Snake Eyes needs some help. I can do both."

Logan sipped his beer slowly, trying to digest that bit of information. "So, you're telling me you want to do nights dealing with the town's garbage and do drills on the weekend?"

"If you have to put it that way, I would have to say yes."

"Are you insane?"

"They're thinking of examining my head, Logan. No need to remind me that I am insane."

"It won't help ya, kid. They'll try to give you meds and send you away." Logan snorted.

 _I remember we were driving,  
Driving in your car,  
The speed so fast I felt  
Like I was drunk.  
City lights lay out before us,  
And your arm felt nice  
Wrapped 'round my shoulder._

 _And I had a feeling that I belonged.  
I had a feeling I could be someone,  
Be someone, be someone…_

"You think I don't know that?" Jay asked, pouring himself more beer. "I've seen those hospitals, clinics and offices, Logan. They're disgusting and understaffed. There's no money to be given to them to improve and clean them up. Veterans are dying everyday, either by suicide, lack of care or ignorance. Nobody gives them two shits and sends them away to wars they won't send their sons and daughters to."

"That's what they protested concerning Vietnam, remember," Logan pointed out, trying to block out Vietnam, Victor and Stryker altogether. "Ordinary kids were being sent home in body bags and the politicians were keeping theirs out of it."

"It goes on, Logan. Nothing has changed in the days since you've been at war."

"Who says I've been at war?"

Rumors are wonderful thing. Hearing slips of the tongue is another. It's wonderful to see that not all faculty in the school are perfect."

"Oh, so listening to conversations you really shouldn't?"

"Wrong time, wrong place, you mean. Hank was just talking quietly with the Professor and didn't see me. He just questioned if you were dangerous or not."

"When was this?"

"Years ago, so don't worry about it. It was before Danielle was born. The rumors always swirl around you though. You're a pretty mysterious kind of guy except when it concerns interest in my sister."

"I'd like to keep it that way. Besides, your sister just likes sucking people into her pity parties."

"Yeah, we're all aware of that. At least she's more assertive than she used to be and not as clingy."

The two again fell into silence, feeling that the things they had in common were already discussed. They finished the pitcher some time later and brooded. Jay took out a pack of Camel cigarettes and lit up, a habit that Logan did not know he had. Not to feel so left out, he took out a cigar and started smoking it too, sharing an ashtray between him and Jay. With the thin screen between them and the rest of the bar, they had a better chance to talk in privacy since not too many liked the smell. Indeed, Logan did notice that Jay had another thing on his mind.

"You know, the coroner asked that I look at that body," Jay mentioned, putting out his cigarette and lighting up another one. "He said that Danielle and Roger saw the body and declared that it wasn't Fiona. The captain said Danielle was in hysterics and he didn't want to discount Roger's assessment, however much he did not trust out master spy. What makes me confused is why my mother didn't go down herself."

"You don't want to know," Logan muttered, something Jay took seriously.

"I don't think I want to either." Jay took another drag and coughed. "Well, I'm heading down tomorrow, before the big base party I'm not going to. You want to come along?"

"Why?" Logan put out his cigar and did not lit up another. "Kid, you hate my guts and made that pretty well known since you were younger. You don't need someone who's gonna agitate you accompanying you to see a body."

"Well, that's the point actually," Jay said. "You do annoy the hell out of me, but that would work to my advantage. I would have an extra set of eyes, an extra asshole to the cops and someone to watch my back just in case. I don't trust this town since Ellis shook it up."

Logan nodded consent. He understood, although taking a trip to the police station wasn't his idea of fun. He had plans with Alex to discuss the latest news from the bar and perhaps making a seat at the counter for the former Army infantryman, to see how well that was going to go. Seeing a body was the last thing Logan needed. He had seen enough over the years, especially when he was picked up for Vietnam after trying to settle in with Xavier. Although he had not told anyone about it, he was sure that Xavier at least had an idea that he had been used as a weapon in another war and that he had gone through hell as well.

After Vietnam and departing from his brother for perhaps the last time, Stryker had picked him up, recruiting him for the Weapon X Program. He did not remember much from that time, since it almost merged from his discharge, more time with the Canadian Ministry, the month with the Hudsons and the Weapon X Program, and he did not want to relive it. Like Jay, he wanted to forget all of that, even though he had to say that the adamantium claws helped him get through many a fight. He wanted to move on with his life and not think about the worst that had happened. Love was a dangerous weapon and one well used, Logan realized a long time ago, and it was with a heavy heart that Jay learned the same.

Jay got up to leave, leaving money on the counter for the night's drinks, all of Logan's included. "Meet me there at nine. We both know sleep isn't going to be our best friend tonight. I'm just hoping this would compensate for it for now."

Logan took the money wordlessly and with gratitude, handing it to Snake Eyes when he passed by him next. He got up to leave himself, stretching and thinking that six hours until his dreaded appointment with Jay was enough time to himself and that the school did not need to know where he was. However, before he went out the door, Teller stopped him. The bar owner seemed to have satisfied all that were present for the time being and took Logan to a corner near the entranceway, an empty tray to the side, as if being used as a shield.

"Don't believe everything you see and hear, Wolverine," Teller warned. "There are forces out there that you don't have an idea existed."

"Maybe we should talk about it, Teller?" Logan suggested, noting that the charade was done between them. "Later, when we both have a minute to spare?"

"I was thinking the same thing," Teller replied with a smile. "Next week. Bring no one and tell no one. I don't want the gossip to start up again."

Teller immediately left when he was called over once more, giving Logan a chance to depart. He zippered up his leather jacket and pulled the collar closer to his face, walking through out and into the business district. He glanced around, to see if there were any remnants of Ellis' work still. Seeing it to be about the same and without much improvement, he left, arriving in the municipal end of town. Reaching at the police station, he found a bench a homeless man vacated when he saw Logan. Laying down on the cold wood, Logan stared up at the sky, wondering how the hell he got to where he was now, from the day he left his mother when he was ten to now.

One hundred and fifty-eight useless years swirled in his mind, about ninety-eight percent of them on his own or with Victor. One point in his life then started bothering him, when he began living with Xavier, but he dismissed it. It was only one chapter in his life that he could not remember, one that he imagined opened his relationship with Xavier, Hank and ultimately Roger and Alex. He recalled being in bed with his boss' daughter and protecting her and the next, he was being picked up by Stryker (who happened to be Mystique in disguise) and sent back to the mansion.

Days were unaccounted for, in that time over seventeen years ago, Logan realized with a yawn, an action which he did not see coming. Since then, he had been content with his life perhaps, although he dreaded this next task most of all. Five hours to go, he would meet up with Jay and see the body that was picked up at the scene of the accident and see what Roger and Danielle had been talking about. Five hours and he'll be on the trail of the true events that led to Fiona disappearing from her car on Christmas Eve.

Sleep soon claimed Logan unexpectedly with dreams he could not remember. By the time Jay saw him on the bench before the appointed hour though, he was hardly awake and seeing the older Mitchell sibling in blurs, shaking off the cold and adjusting to his healing abilities fighting off the hyperthermia. Standing up and following Jay inside when he was feeling human, the two were escorted to the basement morgue's viewing room by the captain himself, waiting for the coroner to come in and reveal the body. They then stood for a few minutes in the viewing room Jay nervously reaching for his cigarettes, putting one to his mouth and not lighting it. However, the corner soon came into the room, pulling a gurney from the corner and placing in plain view of the two before him. He then waited for a signal from the captain before lifting the sheet and showing the face.

Even feeling the effects of the night before drifting away, Logan could clearly see that the body was not Fiona. Sure, the facial structure and the hair color and length were the same. The body had the same weight and height. However, even with the glass and the smell of preserving chemicals between them, he could smell the body…and it was not Fiona's scent. He shook his head, looking at Jay to see if he came to the same conclusion. The Army reservist held a stoic face, only nodding to the coroner to put the body away before facing the captain.

"The body does appear to be my wife, captain, but I can assure you that it is not," Jay declared, showing no emotion still. "Fiona is still out there, waiting to be found."

"The accident –" the captain began.

"Was unfortunate and a reality, I'm afraid," Jay interjected. "However, my wife did not die in that crash initially. The woman that you found was in the vehicle was planted there…and you need to find out who did it and why."

* * *

 **Above lyrics are from Tracy Chapman's song, "Fast Car".**


	25. Angry Eyes

**May 20, 2023**

Danielle pulled away from the memories just as Jay was about to run out of power and collapse from their joint efforts. She opened her eyes and blinked several times to adjust to the lights, hearing the urgent knocks on their bedroom. Before Logan came to seconds later, she glanced at the clock quickly. It was already eleven-thirty and they had missed breakfast and were about to miss lunch and the children's usual daily complaints later on. She then saw the black and red energy mist edging under the door, beckoning to them. It was then that she knew Celeste was on the other end.

"What the hell now?" Logan moaned, cracking his neck and allowing the stiffness to slip away.

"Celeste," Danielle replied, getting up from the bed on shaky legs and going to the door with a spinning head. "What _now_ , Celeste?"

"Lunch!" the teenager yelled back, the mist sucked back under the door. "Cafeteria is pretty crowded now, since there's no separate faculty lunch. Better get down there before you get too bored with Daddy. Speaking of which, can I come in?"

"We'll be down in a few," Danielle reassured her, opening the door to show her daughter that she, as well as Logan, were well and still in their night clothes. "Why do you need to come in though? Too curious to see us naked?"

"What happened to you, Mom?" Celeste asked, entering the room and ignoring the barb about her inquisitiveness. "You look like a truck hit you. You sleep last night or were you too busy with other things?"

"Nothing is wrong," Danielle reassured her as Celeste checked on Logan from her position. "We got some sleep last night, although it was a late night with your uncle. We're ok."

"And Daddy?"

"He's fine too. We just…had a morning."

"Say no more!" Celeste made the most disgusted face Danielle remembered this time, as if mentioning it too many times was too much information. "I don't really need to know your life with Daddy and said a million times any more than you need to know mine."

"See you at lunch then." Danielle motioned that Celeste leave. When the teenager did, Danielle closed the door and walked back to Logan, willing her head to stop pounding as she sat down.

"Holy shit," Logan only said, rubbing his temples.

"Which part?" Danielle asked, wiping some sweat from the back of her head.

"Well, everything, the last part especially. From what I remembered…Fiona died in that car accident on Christmas Eve and your brother was given a hardship discharge."

"It almost seems like everything is the opposite from where you came from."

"Yeah…yeah, I guess you can say that."

"What else happened, where you came from?"

Logan had to think about how to answer the question before he spoke. "You told me some things and I had piece together the rest, so it's a little fragmented. I suppose we didn't have much time to speak of the matter because it hurt you too much and we had the future to worry about."

"It still does hurt here," Danielle admitted.

"I knew that Jay enlisted, to see if he could bridge a gap between humans and mutants," Logan continued as if Danielle did not speak. "Here, it seems he did it to escape and to be himself. He couldn't be a mutant in the Army though."

"Jay _did_ try to make the humans understand mutants. I knew that he didn't speak on the assimilation and chose instead of help in little ways."

"He made waves, from what I've heard originally. He went on to fight in Desert Storm and was shattered to come home without his wife and a son who could not be cared for. He went down the bottle, his son was taken away ultimately to never be seen again and worked with Teller in order to take Ellis down. There might have been rallies you, Jean and Storm were caught at that Ellis decided to talk at. Nightcrawler, we did not meet until much later. Matthew had been put through the state system and was not seen until you both were adults."

"Teller was a double agent though, Logan. He and Chameleon had been tools when they thought their work was done."

"Yes, so I can see." Logan paused, noticing the focus on Teller alone. "I guess they always were. However, to me, everything doesn't make sense still. The only difference I see is that I was with you in childhood and little things are clues to where we are now. It seems so cliché that we fell in love."

"It does," Danielle conceded, "but it wasn't what everyone thought it was. Yes, I had a major crush on you when I was a kid. I got over that soon enough, when other circumstances and people pushed me away from you and everything else that truly mattered to me. What morphed later on was something we both grew into. I think a lot of the problem was that I was very impulsive and drunk back then and willing to have anyone come at me and give me love. I didn't understand what the definition of it was because I wasn't given it. I don't even Jay understood it either, only that it was something he could attain with the one person he truly cared about.

" _Us_? It's something that came from a mix of wanting to feel loved on my end and the caring on your end, to be honest, and that it all started at the times I showed you. It turned in something that we did not see much, much later and that would almost crash down on us. That isn't something I want to discuss right now though. They are things that happened much later than where we are right now."

Logan nodded. This was already too much all at once.

"Why don't we had to the cafeteria for some lunch?" Danielle then suggested, seeing the battle within Logan's eyes. "I'm sure we'll get there in time."

Again, Logan nodded. They got up from the bed and dressed in regular clothes. Danielle thought of pulling Logan's night clothes off and putting on the clean ones just to be playful, but pushed the idea away as she proceed to her own business. Although he had consented the other night, it does not give her to right to be forward again. The glance that just crossed Logan's face told her that he was still struggling in this new world of his and he did not want to toe his way to the line. He didn't know where their relationship began and ended and everything in between, although he knew that the boundaries included a marriage, children and a life together.

Sighing, Danielle took Logan's arm innocently enough and they left the bedroom, although she still felt like hell and knew that Jay did too. Logan allowed her to take the lead in the meantime, perhaps not noticing that she was taking everything she had to keep afloat. Even though Danielle had the ability to keep sickness and injury away now that she chose to live as long as Logan, this seemed to be different. It felt more than a power drain from deep within, which was scaring her. It seemed like an illness of their powers, like using them in such extremes was pulling her down into an abyss she never saw existed. It seemed too difficult to understand at the moment and too much to digest, especially with Logan understanding so little now.

However, Danielle also knew that Logan would be lost without her. She had to do everything she could to guide him. He could not afford to be lost, especially now.

Within minutes, the two arrived at the cafeteria downstairs on the lower level, standing at the end of a line that ran around the door. They waited patiently, taking some food and finding a seat as Daken and Celeste at first followed them and then chose to be with their friends. Danielle opted to sit at the table with Jay, just to make sure that he was ok. Logan did not argue about it, seating himself across from Jay and to Danielle's right. Danielle's older brother was rubbing his eyes, as if he had a headache there, and did not bother touching his food. Indeed, Jay did not seem like himself.

"Get some sleep, older brother?" Danielle taunted, in order to hide her own sickness.

"I was wondering the same with you, drinking like the fish you are," Jay replied, a comment that made even Logan turn his head.

"Hey, why didn't anyone invite me to the party?" Logan asked, trying to dispel the serious mood.

The siblings turned to stare at Logan simultaneously. "Because I didn't like sharing to begin with," Danielle said. "Explains why you couldn't detect a thing, huh?"

"Oh, don't tease him now, Danielle, especially when we both look like fuckin' hell," Jay complained. "I'm pretty sure you didn't bother telling Logan what's been going on."

Logan then stared Danielle straight into her hazel eyes. "What is he talking about?" he inquired, his tone turning into a threatening one.

"I needed additional power," Danielle explained honestly. "Jay had to know."

"It brings the circle to how many?"

"Including us two, six people."

" _Too_ many."

"Yeah, that's what I said to everyone else."

"Hey, hey, hey, can we keep it down over there?" Jay started rubbing his forehead this time, trying to quell an argument that was surely coming. "It feels like I have a hangover without the booze."

"You drank enough last night too." Danielle tried the food and somehow could not taste it, especially with Logan feeling so angry towards her. "You might as well have a hangover."

While the two siblings bantered this way and that, Logan rolled everything over in his mind. Already, too many people knew what had happened. He figured that Jean would have picked up on things. Xavier was a secret keeper and could have slipped something if he was cornered. Jay was another part in the equation and perhaps Ororo too, since she was so close to Jean. Four people, three of them telepaths in their own right, and all of them liable to tell everyone else. In a school where he knew that rumor was king and gossip its queen, Logan was already seeing that he was dead meat if he could not come up with why he couldn't teach his classes and seemed like a fish out of water.

Not bothering to touch his food either, Logan stood up suddenly. Danielle and Jay stopped their chatter and stared at him, seeing that even Logan was unsure of what he was doing. Danielle tried putting a reassuring hand on his arm, but Logan pushed it away. He muttered something about needing some time alone and walked away, leaving his tray of food behind. It caused a little silence at the tables around the Mitchell siblings, which was going to keep people talking. That soon turned back to regular conversations, leaving the two alone with their own thoughts. They would later pay for the scene.

"It's my fault, Jay," Danielle lamented in a low tone. "I should have said something earlier."

"It's overwhelming for Logan," Jay pointed out uselessly, echoing the same sentiments Danielle had before.

"Well, don't you think he deserves the truth?"

"You _are_ giving him the truth."

"I mean, right now. Everything that happened, he should have known."

"That detail he shouldn't have been so upset over. I'm sure Jean and Storm would have kept the information hushed. I promised to keep my mouth shut. What does Logan expect? That you and the Professor would have sewn our mouths shut and acted like it didn't matter?"

"It does to me and him, I would hope." Danielle sipped on her glass of water slowly, feeling the liquid coat her stomach in a hurtful manner. "I don't know how to go about it anymore. I can't stop right where I left off either."

"What would that be?" Jay picked at his salad, choosing not to eat the fresh vegetables and sticking his tongue out for dramatic purposes alone. He still stirred the green matter with his fork though.

"Fiona," Danielle replied quietly. "He was at the morgue with you."

Jay dropped the fork without noticing. "No, you can't really stop there. That's just the beginning."

"Yeah, the beginning of the ending."

"Well, the end of all of our innocence really, if you want to put it that way, yours in particular."

"Not you though."

Jay grinned weakly. "No, it wasn't. I think I was still in the reserves at the time."

"Weekend warriors, you called it."

"It was too boring. I enjoyed being in the Army when I was younger and didn't like the pace the Army reserves had. I had to come home though. I couldn't leave you all behind, you and Jax most of all. It would have ended much differently too. Now that we understand the extent of our powers and what Jax could do, it was the best choice."

"A ripple in the water," Danielle conceded, deciding that she too wasn't so hungry after all. "Logan has taught me now that everything can be changed – past, present and future. All in this one moment in time, everything changed and nothing will ever be the same again. The choices we make in life leave an effect, one that can either build or destroy another."

"The Butterfly Effect almost," Jay added. "Now that you concluded on that theory we all came to a long time ago, Sherlock, what are you doing to do with Logan?"

"I don't know," Danielle admitted. "Go and see him?"

"Wrong answer," Jay declared, as if he was a parent and they weren't adults acting like children. "I suggest taking some time away from Logan and leaving him alone. He's pissed off and hurt, from what I've seen. Besides, you need the time alone too. You've been on his ass for how long?"

"All weekend."

"Yeah. Get into a corner and think about what you did that was bad and come back to me with an answer. You gonna eat?"

Danielle looked down at her food once last time. "No, I guess not. Can I be excused?"

"Go." Jay waved his hand, laughing. "I'll hand out the leftovers to someone less fortunate."

"Thanks." Danielle got up and left, departing from the cafeteria and heading to the main floor. She reached the foyer, thinking of where she needed to go. She walked down the hallway a few minutes before turning around, an idea in mind.

There seemed to be one person who could help her. Danielle was sure of it.


	26. Childish Insecurities

Xavier was sitting in his office correcting some papers, opting to eat his lunch alone instead of with the school population and contemplating how to conduct the swiftly-called meeting for Monday. Finished with his food within half an hour, he waited for his visitor to come in. He sensed a strong presence nearby and braced himself for the worst, almost hearing the footsteps so heavy in his mind. When Danielle knocked though, he was relieved, although he knew it would be full of some grief. Already, he was alarmed by her pallor and how drained her energy levels were. Although he was sure Jay had been supplying her with power, he also deduced how she had been helping Logan and Jay had been her accomplice.

Danielle closed the door. "You busy, Professor?"

"Not really." Xavier waved the usual stack of papers. "The usual hurrying at the end of the year always has one running, but not at this hour. It doesn't take too much to see you're upset."

"Yeah." Danielle found a seat before the desk, feeling like an insecure student again. "I'm pretty sure you have an idea on who and why too."

"I wouldn't pry, but I would assume that this has to do with Logan." Xavier put his papers in a drawer in his desk, he hoped to be corrected later. "What has happened?"

"I had to tell Jay," Danielle confessed, as if it were the worst thing in the world. "He felt the power pull and he had to know what had conspired over the weekend. I felt like I had no choice."

"It's one more person privy to the issue," Xavier stated, as if this problem wasn't as bad as Danielle made it out to be. "I am sure Jay has kept many secrets worse than this before."

"Yes, Professor, and that's what's bothering me…and Logan, if you saw him at lunch just minutes ago." Danielle tried adjusted her red hair when it got in her face, but she realized that it was from the shaking. "We all know what this school is like when it comes to juicy stories. I'm afraid I just hit a nerve somewhere. I don't know what to do."

Xavier regarded Danielle with amusement. "There's more."

"Of course there is," Danielle admitted, "but that's for later. I'm more focused on Logan though. It's childish, I know, but I am lost what to do with him. He doesn't understand that I am doing all of this for him and he doesn't understand who we are anymore. Maybe in his other world there was much different theories and concepts that we don't know here."

"There is," Xavier confirmed. "What Logan wants revealed will be on his own time."

"How…much of it reflects us now?"

"I would assume some, like Logan has probably told you. The cast of characters are the same and the plot and conclusion seemed consistent. However, where in time he was when he came here was different, with different results and meetings, resulting in a story we cannot begin to imagine. People we know now died in horrible ways, wars were waged that we could not stop and that resulted in him coming back in time."

"To 1973, where it all began."

Xavier smiled. "His life as he knew it, after those days in 1973, was much different than now. From the day he woke up next to you, his life has changed and you feel it's your job to make it right. You feel that the job reacquainting him with the life he has now is important and I believed has made him less bewildered. I've seen the transformation already."

"He's quick to pick up on things, I've noticed."

"He always has. He's also very blunt and crass. He has no patience. Nothing about that has changed."

Danielle laughed. "I'm glad he didn't get too mad in the cafeteria and just exploded. I expected him to though. It just bothers me about –"

It was there that Danielle stopped, aware that she was starting to reveal a secret of her own. Xavier noticed this and waved his hand in encouragement, hoping that she would continue. He wasn't going to pry, since he knew Danielle to be so private and would pick her time to tell someone her secrets. However, he wasn't just curious about it. He needed her to say it, knowing that this was the essential piece of the problem. The childish conundrum of watching Logan stomp away wasn't what was on Danielle's mind the most. It was between her and Jay.

"I don't know how to describe it," Danielle finally admitted. "When I started pulling Logan back in time and showed him the memories, I did a lot of jumping and covered a few years at a time, maybe an incident an hour because of how much depth there is in each memory. However, for some reason, there's a major drain on me and Jay both. He noticed it and came to me, hence him knowing what happened to Logan. I had to own it up. However, I covered the same amount of hours even with help and we're both, quite honestly, feeling like hell warmed up."

"You haven't been using your powers that much in some time," Xavier reminded her.

"Generally, we don't," Danielle agreed. "However, the usage shouldn't make us this way. I've used my powers in more ways than this before, even without Jay around and for some years too, and I haven't been so sick before."

"Have you talked to Jean about it?"

"She has seen it and has chastised me about it already. I want to continue onward though, to see where it goes with Logan, and I'll talk with her more about it. I felt that I left off in a place that wasn't very pleasant, with both her and the memories."

"I'm sure those years had not been the greatest for everyone."

"No, especially when Fiona had been kidnapped after her car accident."

Xavier nodded, smiling as he folded his hands across the desk. "No, I would agree. Leaving Logan there wasn't a point I'd like to end. I also would not like you to end the conversation that way with Jean either."

"But do you know what's going on, Professor?" Danielle studied Xavier, to see if there was a reaction, but found none. There hadn't been one to begin with and her hopes seems to be dashed.

"No," Xavier admitted. "It would be under study and would be considered, once we have a little time to discuss it with Jay and Jean. However, I would be careful if I were you, Danielle. Going too far might not be a wise idea."

Not understanding what Xavier meant by the statement (because it meant too many things), Danielle stood up, to end the meeting herself. "I will be careful," she promised. "I think I have other things to do now."

Saying farewell to Xavier, Danielle left without another word, feeling utterly silly. She would have gone out the front doors if there was something in town that was attracting though, just to escape her embarrassment. However, following Logan's trail had been more interesting than meeting up with the townies. She went around to the back and passed the garage and stables and took a walk through the vast green fields. Xavier owned so much property and she found that it was easy to get lost, especially in the woods. However, the years spent here and her footing had been pretty sure. She knew that was where Logan had gone off to, to lick his wounds and plan ahead.

Danielle entered the lushest shade, trying her best not to trip over random branches and animal holes. She sensed ahead, almost seeing invisible footsteps ahead of her to copy. She stepped where Logan did, hoping to God that this was the right thing to do, and took the extra time to keep quiet and be as swift as the assassin she used to be. Although certain that Logan could smell and hear her a mile away, Danielle wasn't planning on rushing in with the added risk of being attacked. Best to be cautious and receive the same in return.

It did not take long to locate Logan. Some miles into the woods (maybe three or four), Danielle spotted him in a clearing. He was sitting on a log smoking a cigar and was in deep thought. Becoming invisible, Danielle studied him for a few minutes in that manner before he got his claws out, dropping the cigar in a hurry to see who was around. He soon retracted the claws, picking up the smoldering item and putting it out on the wood he was sitting on. He continued to be seated though, aware that he now had company and it wasn't going to be his way this time around.

Danielle soon reappeared, walking slowly towards Logan. When she felt that it was safe to, she sat down next to him on the left, taking his hand into hers. She rubbed it with her thumb, which relaxed Logan immediately, and channeled what was left of her power into him, to calm him down. Jay started screaming in her mind to stop the flow of power, but Danielle ignored it. She was more focused on Logan and needed him to talk, just as she did with Xavier. She had no time for childish playtime with her brother.

 _Jay, cut the shit out._ Danielle was annoyed when she felt cut off from the additional energy and Logan just returned the favor of silent and loving movements for now. _I found Logan. We're going to be talking._

 _I told you to leave him alone, kiddo._ Jay felt the same as Danielle, trying to keep his strength for the upcoming daily tasks he now faced. _He's going to need time and so do you. This needs to stop for the week._

 _Not where I left off. This is getting too heavy._

We're _getting too heavy for this assignment. What did the Professor say?_

 _How did –_

 _I just know, little sister. I figured you went to the only person, other than Hank McCoy, who watched us grow. Tell me though. What did he say?_

 _He doesn't know why we're like this. I wasn't going into his thoughts to see what he did. That wasn't fair and it wasn't right._

 _You should have. It would have made our lives a hell of a lot easier._

 _Fuckin' son of a bitch, Jay! I am not running our powers against one of the strongest telepaths there is. Most certainly, I am handling these next session alone and without your help. Go to hell, Jay, and take your opinionated assholery with you. I'll deal with you later._

Danielle cut the connection from Jay and turned to Logan, unsure of what to say. Logan just held her hand in return, feeling the same way too. One of them had to break the silence and it wasn't going to be the stubborn mutant that was almost two hundred years old. Danielle had to break down and speak. Sighing, she tried forming the words on her lips. Failing that, she moved closer to Logan, leaning her head on his shoulder, and linked their minds together. So long ago, Logan had given her permission to run their talks that way. Maybe it was time to just feel truly alone and without forming their words out loud.

 _I'm sorry._ Danielle knew that Logan needed to hear that at least.

Logan turned towards Danielle, kissing her red head. _I know, Love. I know you're sorry._

 _Jay had to be part of the inner circle. I can't do things like this without him understanding. I also can't leave you stranded either._

 _Yeah, we're both stuck between a rock and a hard place. It takes time to see that._

 _It's been like that for years. Nothing has changed. I'm sure it was the same where you came from. I'm sure we both had our ups and downs and could not get out of many situations._

 _You can say that._ Logan's lips twisted weirdly, as if the memories were painful and he could not bear them. _I think they were almost as bad as the ones you showed me._

 _I haven't even gotten to the worst, Logan. It's all been a prelude and that is passing into the first chapters too._

 _It's a tragedy, you mean. A long narrative with a good ending._

 _That too. It's all been one big, long story without an ending. I don't think our story will end though. It goes. This is just a stepping stone._

 _Towards what?_

Danielle lifted her head up and kissed Logan on the forehead tenderly, finding her words finally. "Towards whatever we are seeking at the end of the tunnel we call life," she said out loud. "The ending is always the same. Each of us looks for death in our own way and we feel peace when it does come, whether we welcome it or not. We live to die and then, we live again and die again. It's a cycle that never ends."

"Don't you think it's difficult for the both of us though?" Logan asked, motioning to them both.

"It is," Danielle conceded, "however much we deny it. Life breathes in and out of us harshly and without warning. We long for death, although that is always out of reach."

"Not for you. It's worse for me."

"Perhaps, Logan, it is easier for me to die. However, it's much harder to achieve now than it was thirty years ago."

"Was it that long ago?" Logan seemed to tease Danielle. His eyes most certainly danced in a different light.

"I think that was about the time Teller took me on," Danielle admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "That's a memory for another time though. I think we have a few hours to ourselves. We can continue."

"The children?" Logan felt that they were leaving their teenaged children up to mischief, more so than they did in his other life.

"Busy." Danielle waved her hand in indifference. "You would not believe how independent they are. I think modeling themselves after you had been a plus. Daken hardly needs supervision and would only check in when he needs to, if he is not instigated by his sister. Celeste? Granted, she might cause some trouble and will always be Daddy' Girl, but she hasn't been interested in us for some time. They both have friends outside of our circle and have a life too. I just like making sure they're alive and we have an idea on what they're up to."

"That's not hard in a place like this," Logan observed.

"No, especially with sometime like Hank on them." Danielle smiled weakly, feeling her body beg her not to go for another round with her mind into the past. "Now, you ready for the next phase?"

"Do I have a choice?" Logan asked.

"Not if you want to bullshit your way through your life." Danielle kept the grin on her face, trying to keep it all together when she wanted to break away and sleep away her exhaustion. "Now, hold still. This next part is going to be trickier and tougher. You'll see."

* * *

 **Hey, everyone! I am sorry for the belated update. I've been moving and working on other things. I am trying to update this story more than I usually do and hope you do enjoy the new chapter. Thank you!**


	27. Hard Work and Determination

**March 7, 1991**

It had been a long, bleak winter after that Christmas tragedy. The Mitchell family practically holed themselves into their home as much as they could, unwilling and unable to face reality anymore. Although Danielle had been the only face of the family seen since that Christmas Day, she was hardly there in spirit. While physically able to work, play and function as she should, her mind wandered to a million things, all of them revolving around her family and the one she now had to hold together. Four had been killed and now another was missing. What more could this family take and what more could happen, if five of them were now gone?

Danielle knew that her mother and brother were falling apart, spiraling down into a hole that even she could not pull them out of and make whole, although she tried her hardest. That alone made the house bleak and dark, with no life to give it substance. Nobody had been able to even take care of Jax, practically an orphan as she was and dependent upon the people who came over while she was in school. Although unable to care for him while she was in school, Danielle had to do the best she could when she was home, which happened to be more often than most. She would take a bus to the school every morning and return to the farmhouse when classes were let out in the afternoon, almost like she was a normal student and her life seemed the same too. She would alternate between homework, housework, Jax and cooking, always balancing more than once thing at a time and wishing to God that it would end.

Indeed, it was a pretty busy time and one that even took up so much strength that it was a wonder that she got through it all. Danielle was too busy with her own affairs, especially in caring for her young nephew, that she had no time for her usual pranks, games and music no longer. She was now the adult. She could not afford to be the child, although she had last remembered that she was nearly twelve years old. She had to grow up sometime and that time happened to be now.

Jay was the worst of this whole situation and who ought to have been there, she thought. Danielle would remember him coming back to the farmhouse after trying to identify a body that was not his wife, muttering about Logan and something else, she believed about the police in Salem Center. He then locked himself in his room, not even coming down for meals (although Danielle managed to sneak some snacks and other meals under the door), and did some major maintenance in his room. No longer was the Jay Mitchell of the past there, a person who loved music, life and love. Now, the inactive military man was repainting his room to be olive green, making his bed a cot and wearing only clothes from the PX. He hardly acted as a civilian anymore, unwilling to move from his room, take a job or even search for his wife.

 _He's lost hope._ Danielle thought of it multiple times a day, brooding over it in English class, over her homework or even in the woods, where she went more often than not. That had been her solace, her own one ray of sunshine that kept her moving too, and that one statement alone drove her not to be the same way also.

Early in March, the upcoming spring warmth had decided to tease everyone. While the sun shone and temperatures remained in the fifties in the afternoon, Danielle took advantage of the weather and started hiding out more and more on the school property. One particular afternoon stuck in her mind. She managed to escape into the woods as far as she dared, finding the late winter afternoons balmy and beautiful, and skipped her way through the property woods before getting caught on state property by accident. When she came upon a clearing, one with a stream and a few trees on both sides, it was too convenient. She almost laughed with glee, using her physical childish energy to climb a tree, higher and higher until she was several feet up. She then stopped on a thick branch, sitting on it and dangling her feet over the ledge, and enjoyed herself, perhaps for the first time in some days.

"Hey, kid," a voice called out from the right. Danielle screeched and almost fell out of the tree, but a hand quickly grabbed her by an arm and pulled her back to her seat.

"Logan," Danielle gasped, finding her balance and sitting down as the older mutant did too, next to her silently. "What are you doing here?"

"Quiet spot." Logan shrugged his shoulders, the camo he was wearing blending into the trees. "Been watching a lot of things."

This made Danielle nervous. "Watching…like _what_?"

"Things over the border." Logan pointed to a distant place away from the school. "There are things in Salem Center that are more interesting than teenaged drama."

Danielle bristled. "I don't think the school is _that_ bad."

Logan snorted. It was enough to be sarcastic and try not to be rude to the girl. However, things at the school had been out of control. Ever since Fiona Mitchell had disappeared, the school had taken on more of an indifferent air, like one of their own did not matter and cliques had to be developed to keep the tension from being in the open, more so than ever before. It was enough to make one hide and focus on the more important things, like how to save their kind and humankind. The woods had been good for hiding. Danielle apparently had the same idea.

"How can you see from here?" Danielle then asked, trying to quell her curiosity.

"I can see and hear many things." Logan wasn't giving up his secrets just yet. He was more interested in Danielle's actually.

"You know, I can shred your mind for the answer," Danielle teased, sure that Jay would accompany her on this adventure. However, she did not want to face the Professor's wrath.

"Kid, you wouldn't. Don't be throwing cards out you aren't meant to use."

"How did you know that I wouldn't do it?"

"I've been hearing and calling bluffs for years. I don't need another one. Besides, this one you don't need to know. My life ain't really your business. On the other hand, you've just got some explaining to do."

"Do not." Danielle crossed her arms stubbornly.

"You do." Logan saw the pigheadedness and could beat that. "Three months and I don't have a young pest behind me practically everyday. Care to tell me why?"

"Busy." Danielle shrugged her shoulders, keeping her arms where they were, as if she was afraid to let down her defense. "Family and school have kept me busy."

"You aren't bunking with Jean and Storm often," Logan observed.

"I have to be home."

"Why?"

"Fiona is not there anymore."

The words spoke a lot. It was not just a reminder. It was to say that there was no buffer and that alone fell on the young girl's shoulders. There was no person there to joyfully tease or to cry to when things were wrong. There was no middle person to make things right. A sister-in-law had been a novelty to Danielle, almost like she had an older sister that loved her brother as she did and took care of him. Now, with Fiona gone, there was nothing for her anymore, almost as if she was sucked into an abyss. Most of her family had been killed and the only person that gave two shits about her was missing.

In many ways, Logan felt so sorry for Danielle. He realized though, in the time that he knew the girl, that she was always looking for attention too, as if she did not get enough at home. She was an angry and introverted kid that did not trust others too easily and would rather turn away than talk to someone because of the horrible things that she went through. Granted, that was all true and things that smacked Logan in the face, reminding him to be a better friend. However, even he saw that this one turning point was one that he could not predict and one that was making Danielle's life hellish. It was another hole that was being dug and that might be her grave, if she allowed it to be.

"Who comes when you're in class?" Logan was curious.

"Ms. Ellis," Danielle admitted. "Mom knew her from years ago and she comes by pretty often. So does Roger Mortimer. He comes more often though."

"Gee, I wonder why," Logan said sarcastically.

Danielle shot an evil look. "He's been trying to persuade me many things."

That made Logan uneasy. "Like what?"

"Oh, this and that." Danielle was being evasive, uncrossing her arms. "Besides, he's _way_ more interested in Jay. Roger has been poking at him to leave his room and get over everything."

"That ain't easy." Logan knew this firsthand.

"I'm sure. However, Roger keeps telling him that Fiona is alive and have to have hope."

"That much we know, kid. He's right. There's no evidence to suggest otherwise."

"Jay can't be moved though. There's no way that he'll leave from that bedroom unless he has a solid clue. I'm sure he'll go when he does though. He can't miss out on something that involves his wife."

"Maybe he needs some help from the one person he can rely on?"

"What do you mean?" Danielle was confused.

"Well, you're his sister, right?" In his mind, Logan had a scheme, one that he did not consult anyone on, and he hoped this quick plan worked (and had support) and continued. "You two are pretty close for siblings several years apart."

"Why would Jay want to listen to his annoying kid sister?"

"Because that kid sister has powers like him and shares them."

Danielle blushed in embarrassment. "Like that'll help."

Logan had to keep going. "You can try. Tell him you're concerned. I would assume you're still sending him food and all of that silly sisterly love?"

"How do you know?"

"I have ways. Now, you gonna tell me?"

Danielle was hesitant. "I try my hardest. That isn't enough though. It's not my best."

"Would a job near Teller help?"

"What?" This excited Danielle a little. The confusion left, which made Logan a little relieved.

"Teller is looking for another bouncer, other than Snake Eyes," Logan explained. "This could bring us a little closer."

"To what?" Now, it was Danielle's turn to be curious.

Logan could not help but smile this time, fighting back the temptation to be intimate with the young girl, even though it was innocent in every way. "None of your business yet, kid, and one that I hope you won't get into. Now, you get your brother out of that room and maybe we'll get him a job. Sound good?"

Danielle nodded. That was all Logan needed. Concerned with the time, he checked the sun quickly, seeing that he had some hours left behind he had to report back to Xavier or Hank and Alex, and then looked back to Danielle. When he did though, he noticed that she was slowly climbing up the tree again, higher than she really needed to be. Twigs fell in his hair as she rustled upward, the sun inching in and out of his eyes as Danielle swung from branch to branch. She finally settled so high up that even Logan had to squint to see her.

"You gonna come down, kid?" Logan called up, concerned that Danielle would fall again.

"No!" Danielle yelled back, the tone defiant and rebellious.

Logan waited for some sort of explanation and received none. Sighing, he took out a cigar and smoked it in some peace. He would finish that and maybe head on back. He was worried about the daring kid above his head, but not enough yet to do something about it. The thought that he might be going too far crossed his mind again and that alone made him cautious. Xavier had faith that he would not go after Danielle and play upon her puerile fantasies before she turned to the age of consent. Even then, Logan knew that Xavier expected it to be at least eighteen before anything indecent happened on his watch. Noting that, Logan vowed would keep away from those feelings of Danielle's and more. Distance seemed to be the key here, although he needed Danielle in more ways than getting information out of her. He was afraid of the future she might have and suffer under.

Indeed, that would be enough to make any guy think about a girl pretty often. Shaking his head free of those thoughts, Logan continued to smoke his cigar, instead thinking of the poetic lines Danielle showed him on the day of the party, before her brother was called overseas. Even then, he knew that she needed some saving and he had been the one who pulled more weight than a lot of people they mutually knew because most had been afraid and unsure of how to indulge her and make her feel like a person. However, he might still be the man doing the same rescuing, falling over and over again over the same girl and her troubles.

 _Am I destined to keep this kid out of trouble forever?_ It was a bothersome thought and one Logan was not relishing. One step at a time though. His main focus was Jay and he hoped to hell that it would work, as one sibling was pit against the other, all in the name of stopping evil itself.

~00~

When Logan returned to the school in the early evening, he honestly wanted to track down Roger Mortimer and give the master spy a piece of his mind. He tried using his senses to locate the asshole and came up with nothing. Logan then proceeded to the obvious locations, clenching his fists. Xavier's office was dark and without a soul inside. All other rooms and classrooms seem to be deserted too, he noticed. Indeed, the school itself was pretty quiet. Even the usual groups that ruled the hallways had been absent, choosing their rooms for quiet study. That alone was disconcerting and disturbing. Logan had been nagging at most of them to clear out and for once they listened.

Lost, Logan wandered around the mansion, hoping to see someone he recognized that wasn't a student, and bumped into Alex Summers. While he and his steady girlfriend and sometimes fiancée, a former student and now teacher named Lorna Dane (or Polaris, as she was commonly referred to), had been pretty serious for some years, it had taken a lot for the mousy girl to get used to people, Logan especially. The look she gave Logan though was enough to make him think that she was afraid of him. Slinking away and muttering an excuse, Lorna left Alex facing Logan alone. Alex was little annoyed, taking Logan to one side and right into a classroom. He closed the door behind them and stared at the older mutant with eyes that told Logan that he had more to say than just the usual.

"Where have you been?" Alex began in a demanding voice. "The Professor has been looking for you. We _all_ have."

"Out and about," Logan answered, feeling that he did not need to account where he was all the time. "There hasn't been too much going on."

"There should be," Alex said, relaxing when he realized how rude he was. "It's been quiet… _too_ quiet."

"You're telling me."

"Well…you said nothing was happening?"

"If there was, don't you think you'd be one of the first to know?"

"Good point."

"I'm actually looking for our local bitch boy. Seen him?"

Alex appeared confused, knowing who Logan was referring to. "You know, I have not seen Roger in some days, come to think about it. I think he went back to his house in the woods and is conducting some investigations of his own. I'm sure he's doing things we can only guess at." He shook his head. "Some days, I don't want to know what that guy is up to. Too many complicated webs, you know?"

Logan nodded. "Danielle said something about him heading to the farmhouse on occasion. He was trying to persuade her to do something and trying to get Jay out of his bedroom. I could not get an answer out of her on exact details."

"You talked to Danielle Mitchell?" Alex did not seem surprised about Logan being with her, although he did seem shocked that someone managed to get her talking more than what was needed.

"Yeah," Logan said, feeling uneasy. "She wasn't too chatty though."

"I can't blame her. Losing four family members and a missing sister-in-law in a short period of time takes its toll on people. I can hardly imagine what it is like for her."

"Well, with two alive family members without a way to mend and taking care of a baby is another story."

"You have a point, Logan. Now, you seemed like you had some bone to pick with Roger. Anything I can help with?"

"I heard Teller has an opening for a bouncer," Logan explained, feeling that Alex should be one of the people in the know. "I did not feel a fit for the position. I like it better at the counter."

Again, Alex understood immediately. "You think Jay would be perfect for it."

"Another set of eyes, if we can get him out of his room," Logan continued. "He'll be different too. He's inactive reserve and won't be called up anytime soon. He has too much time on his hands. He's already been a part of the X-Men for who knows how long. Although with a personal hand in the issue, he can still look for clues."

"We wanted him anyway, to see if he can replace his sister," Alex replied quietly, wondering how Logan knew about Jay and his activities of the past eight years or so. "It might be a good idea. I'll bring it up with the Professor at the next meeting."

"When?" Logan felt the need to be there too.

"Oh, I don't know. I'm hoping pretty early tomorrow morning, before classes start." Alex was nervous that even Logan was asking to be at a meeting when he showed little interest before. "You think someone would be able to drag Jay from his room? I don't think even his closest friends have been able to socialize. Not since Fiona disappeared."

"Oh, I have a little faith." Logan was hoping against everything this time. "There's a person I tried pushing in Jay's direction. I think it'll work with a little determination and pushing."

* * *

 **Lorna Dane (or Maximoff) and Alex Summers have been an on/off again couple in the comics and have also been engaged on and off as well. Their complicated history as individuals and as a couple is covered throughout the Marvel universe, most famously when Lorna discovered that Magneto was her biological father and thought him to be a liar until the truth was uncovered. I do want to thank Marvel Database for the information as well as** **Sheherazade's Fable. Her stories on the Maximoff siblings are awesome. Please check them out!**


	28. That Place is Empty

It was pretty late in the evening, already close to ten at night. Danielle knew that she had to get up early the next morning and catch the town bus to get back to the school. However, her mind could not stop reeling. It raced a million miles a minute and there was no stopping it. She could not forget the conversation she had with Logan earlier that day. She could not believe that, even after three months without talking to him, he still seemed to have the same faith and hope in her, like he was the only one who believed in her from the beginning. Even though there had been others like Logan, she still felt that she did not deserve it. She also knew that all of them were misplaced in his feelings. She especially could not persuade Jay to get out of his room and live a life. There was no way.

She would still be dropping food off at the door though. Every night without fail, Danielle took a plate of dinner to Jay's bedroom door, knocking before retreating back to her own room to finish her homework and perhaps try to finish the poem she showed Logan or write something else or listen to some music. She did not see Jay unless he came out and that had been rare, even when she played some music to entice him. After that one night in January, when she decided to open the door with her usual delivery and she saw Jay play Russian Roulette with his gun, she opted to keep away. It was best not to observe his suicidal tendencies. She did not want to see him dead.

Tonight seemed different, especially after Danielle made dinner for the family, put Jax through his own dinner routine and to bed. By then, she went to make her nightly venture. Although her mother had gone to bed early and complained about Jay and his isolation, Danielle still felt her heavy presence in the bedroom next to Jay's and how deep her sadness seemed to be. Gulping as she ignored her mother, she knocked on Jay's bedroom door. Instead of running away though, she stayed, the plate shaking in her hands and the food threatening to fall to the carpeted floor.

The door did not immediately open. Danielle was about to cop out and make a silent excuse to go away when Jay appeared at the opened doorway. His appearance stunned her. Although twenty-two already and three months older than when he came home, there were changes in Jay that surprised Danielle. He used to be so tall, confident and full of life. Now, his brown hair had practically been shaved off and had white streaks when shown, the hazel eyes had dulled, his face was lined with some wrinkles and deep lines and he was stooped, as if his weight was too heavy to hold. The radiant young man had gone to waste, buried in the sands of the Middle East and frozen in the winters of New York. The young husband soldier had been destroyed.

"What's wrong, little sister?" Jay asked when Danielle's shock wore off, his tone pretty patient and gentle for one so down.

Danielle stood in the doorway, unable to answer. She became too shy, realizing that there was no way for her to express her feelings to her brother, who went away one person and came home another. However, Jay was able to answer his own question when Danielle had a vulnerable moment. Using their mutual powers, he was able to run through his sister's weak defenses and piece together the jumbled feelings she had. He then filtered through her mind like a tender breeze and came back out again, breathing in and out lightly. This alone annoyed Danielle because she was unable to stop it. She resolved to be better prepared for the assault next time she met up with Jay.

"Why are you so worried about me?" Jay then inquired when he saw Danielle's issue, shaking his head sadly. "You don't need to. I can take care of myself."

"We haven't seen you in a while," Danielle replied uncertainly, feeling naked. "It's been three months since we've seen you. Mom is worried. _I'm_ worried. This isn't right."

Jay laughed, waving his hand in dismissal. "So? You and Mom can worry all you want. You both don't understand it anyway."

Danielle attempted to play the same game Jay had, to see what he meant by his words, but her brother blocked his mind from anyone reading it. She cursed inwardly. She had yet to learn the defensive bit of their powers, finding it annoying now that she could not get past Jay's initial shield even when she tried her hardest. Her face scrunched into wrinkles and she puffed up with frustration, her eyes wandering to anywhere but Jay. That alone allowed her eyes to spot some paper on his green cot. Jay noticed this and allowed Danielle into the room, plate and all, and closed the door behind them silently. He was not afraid of showing his sister what she noted, taking the paper and handing it to her to read.

"What do you think?" Jay asked Danielle, his voice betraying his lack of confidence. "I…I don't know how else to explain what I'm feeling right now. I really don't care about being with the guys overseas. That's what letters are for. I get the whole thing with making me an inactive reserve with nothing to do, not even weekend drills to keep me busy. But with Fiona…my wife, I don't know how I feel about losing her the way I did, with the accident and not being sure that she's alive or dead now. She was so young and full of life and had so much ahead of her. I mean, why did someone have to torture us this way?"

Danielle did not read the words on the paper yet, looking at Jay instead. She actually could not imagine what it was like to be in Kuwait and then, after wiping a kid's blood off of his boots, hearing that his wife went missing and her car had been totaled and there was no body. Granted, it had been a miracle that Jax had not been in the car when the incident happened. Worse was not that the child would not know his mother if Fiona was not found because there were so many ways they could keep Fiona alive. It was the experience of identifying a body that was not Fiona Mitchell and trying to figure out if she really was alive or not. The days spent in silence, the hours of gloom with clouds over their heads…yes, it was something Danielle could not begin to see. However, she felt the loss terribly and that alone made her feel just as sad as everyone else.

Seconds ticked away in an awkward silence. Danielle put the plate on a nightstand, next to the ashtray and pack of Camels that Jay liked to smoke. She then looked at the paper again without feeling the need to add anything to the conversation, reading the bold words quickly.

 _Love that once hung on the wall  
Used to mean something,  
But now it mean nothing.  
The echoes are gone in the hall.  
But I still remember  
The pain of December…_

 _Oh, there isn't one thing  
Left you could say.  
I'm sorry it's too late…_

 _I'm breaking free  
From these memories.  
Gotta let it go, just let it go.  
I've said goodbye,  
Set it all on fire.  
Gotta let it go, just let it go…_

When Danielle looked to Jay, he spoke and without shame too. "I don't know how to end it, little sister. I'm stuck. It's like, I stopped right where it is now."

Danielle realized that Jay was talking about a love that was now lost and how it had to be let go. He was obviously referring to Fiona (God knows he wrote enough about her), but she did not want to admit to him that she knew about that. She only nodded in understanding, feeling the same way about many things she wrote herself. She had never told her brother that she authored things too, believing Logan and maybe Jean and Ororo to be the only ones who were shown the pieces she put to paper, and suddenly felt ready to tell him. Something quickly popped into her mind to start finish what Jay had begun. When she smiled, Jay raised an eyebrow, not bothering to read her mind this time to get his answer.

"I think I know how to at least bridge the poem," Danielle only said to Jay, grinning wider. "I have some bits and pieces afterward, but we'll get there when we do."

"Well, what is it?" Jay was very patient, watching his sister think and pick up a pen from his nightstand, buried in the cigarette butts that littered it.

"You'll see." Danielle lost her smile and found a seat on the cot, using the hard surface next to her to write, although the ashes from the cigarettes annoyed her. Within five minutes, she was done, handing the paper back to Jay.

 _You came back to find I was gone.  
And that place is empty,  
Like the hole that was left in me,  
Like we were nothing at all.  
It's not that you meant to me,  
Thought we were meant to be…_

 _Oh, there isn't one thing  
Left you could say.  
I'm sorry it's too late…_

 _I'm breaking free  
From these memories.  
Gotta let it go, just let it go.  
I've said goodbye,  
Set it all on fire.  
Gotta let it go, just let it go…_

Jay read it quickly too. "You make it sound like a song," he observed, looking at his sister with amused eyes.

"But it fits in with the theme," Danielle urged. "Lost love and feeling the hole in your soul. At least, I can relate to that."

Jay snorted. "I doubt it. However, you want to finish it?"

"I'm up to the challenge." At the moment, Danielle forgot about her homework and even the food left behind. She was now concerned about this poem they both started and now wanted to end, feeling it the most important thing.

By midnight, when the siblings had debated everything and threw out lines they came to mind, they finally had a finished product. In addition to the two verses they had (as they called it), they had the next phase in the story and then the finale. They both were pleased with the results, despite how tired they were, and admired their work many times over. Danielle then tried getting music attached to the words, attempting to hum a tune to the poem. However, she was so tired that she could not think, only seeing the words swim before her eyes.

 _I let it go and now I know  
A brand new life is down this road.  
Where it's right, you always know.  
So this time, I won't let go…_

 _There's only one thing  
Left here to say…  
Love's never too late._

 _I've broken free  
From these memories.  
I've let it go, I've let it go…  
And two goodbyes  
Lend you this new life.  
Don't let me go, don't let me go._

 _Don't let me go, don't let me go.  
Won't let you go, don't let me go…_

Jay said something, but Danielle did not hear it because it sounded too far away. She cocked her head to one side, glaring at him with what appeared to be a tired glance. She was up past her bedtime and had homework to do still. She did not think she could handle Jay anymore, especially after so much they put into this activity alone. Her energy had been spent writing and rewriting a work that she knew would be great as a song.

"Huh?" Danielle could not form words, feeling drool even slip from her mouth before she wiped it away.

"I said that I am calling the Professor in the morning to say you're not coming in for classes," Jay said slowly, as if his sister was an idiot. "You look like hell and need some sleep. Must be exhausting taking care of us crazy people and a baby hardly a year old."

"Huh?" Danielle still could hardly understand what was being told to her.

"Just go to bed, little sister," Jay ordered, his mind trying to encourage hers into movement and only succeeded in getting her to the door, a spot she stopped at. He then held her by the shoulder and tried to physically push her out. "I'll see you in the morning."

That was when Danielle almost snapped into awareness, her voice still sounding sleepy as she refused to move. "Wait…wait, Jay, I heard something from Logan today."

"You hear many things from Logan." Jay turned annoyed, his hand on Danielle's shoulder tightening. "What is it now?"

"Teller has a job opening."

"Wait… _what_?!"

"Yeah. Teller has a…a job opening. A bouncer. Old Snake Eyes needs some help."

"And you know this _how_?"

"I told you it was Logan. I saw him today."

"No, about Snake Eyes."

Danielle grew silent. "I was there too, remember? And I heard stories."

"Uh-huh." Jay was not impressed, finally recalling the incident and how Alex Summers had to calm him down when he heard where Danielle went and with Logan too. "Go to bed, Danielle. I'll see you in the morning."

Mutely, Danielle obeyed. Jay opened the door for her and she walked away, as if she were a zombie, and disappeared down the hallway. Jay watched as she stumbled into her bedroom, the door still open as she collapsed into her own bed and went to sleep. He laughed to himself, thinking the idea out of nowhere very preposterous. Teller, asking for a bouncer from the outside when one was enough for some years now? It was silly. Sillier was Logan sending his kid sister off to him, to let him know that there was an opening if he was interested.

 _And yet…_

The idea was not unappealing, if Jay thought about it carefully. Xavier always wanted him on the inside when he had the time and always mentioned that he needed to shield his younger sister and keep these people away from her. Now, he was practically unemployed and with nothing except time and his mind to play with. If he was able to get a job with Teller, keep in cahoots with Logan on the other side (since he was so fond of the counter drinks), then they might have a chance of slowing down Ellis' plans and bringing down Teller and Chameleon together. They didn't need to play it Roger's way, being slow as they are. They could make the ending happen faster. It was worth a shot.

Jay closed his bedroom door and sat down on his cot. He took out a cigarette and lit it, feeling relief as he inhaled and then exhaled the blessed nicotine. He then looked to his very cold dinner nearby – seasoned chicken breast, green beans and mashed potatoes with gravy – and sighed. He was not hungry at the moment, although he would reheat it later. Going to Teller and applying for that position seemed more imperative than feeding himself. Granted, that alone, along with his pay twice a month from the military, would help feed the family (as money had been tight these days) and it would be great to keep his mind from things. However, getting to the bottom of things seemed to make him stew and be happy at the same time.

Revenge was always a dish best served cold, Jay reasoned, thinking back to his days on the base and even overseas. If he was able to locate Fiona and the people who took her, he would extract it and more. He would make them beg for mercy, torturing them until death was but a reach away and even making them all live with minds that could hardly make a thought, drooling idiots unable to take care of themselves. It was a plan worth enacting and one worth the risk, he thought. His powers made it worth his while.

Even Xavier had said that revenge could be dangerous and consume a person. Jay, on the other hand, was more than willing to take the hazards of this pathway and become a man he never was. He was a man already ruined by war and tragedy. How could be go back to the person he once was?

* * *

 **The above scene between Jay and Danielle was a twist on the original portrayed in previous story, _Journey to Hell_ , although the song remained the same (Avril Lavigne's "Let Me Go"). It obviously was manipulated because of the new timeline and the new events hereafter. Any questions, concerns and comments? Please let me know. I appreciate it.**


	29. Man Up!

In the morning, Jay was ready to roll. Although he had to wake Danielle up from her slumbers after his call to Xavier and get her to watch Jax (their mother in bed for the day), he still felt the need to get his day started and get his life back in order finally. It had been some time since he was downstairs and even outside the house and he felt the need to prepare to go back to the mansion as a man ready for the next chapter in his life. He made a pot of coffee (which was sure to get Danielle going), tended to Jax with the most attention he could offer after three months and even cleaned up the downstairs, already filled with toys for his son. By then, he was growing restless, waking his sister up and waiting until she was on her first cup of coffee before leaving. Taking his motorcycle on the clear roads (won in a poker match when he was in Kuwait), he drove to the mansion, intent first on talking with someone and appearing normal to the rest.

Jay managed to part the offending motorcycle in the garage, missing Xavier and his disapproving glance by seconds. As the Professor managed to slip away with Scott Summers as his driver in the Rolls Royce (out for a joy ride, no doubt about it), Jay went in the opposite direction, through the side door and up the stairs. He managed to find the right hallway that led to the main floor, took it and ended up near Xavier's office. While Hank noticed him and waved casually, mouthing off that he would maybe speak to Jay later, the former soldier took little notice. Instead, he scanned the floor, to see if he could find the one person he was searching for. With no luck, Jay walked around the mansion, passing this student and that, and still could not find Logan. Discouraged, he went outside, sitting on the fountain's edge. He put his fingers into the water, the goldfish gently kissing them, and tried pushing his mind further and further into the property.

However, this did not seem to be working out. It only agitated the other telepaths around the area. While Xavier gently told Jay to calm down and not pull such power, especially from Danielle (who had been screaming at him from the farmhouse), Jean had not been nicer. While her college courses had taken her from the school, she still called the mansion her home and was there more often to study with Ororo. By the time Jay managed to pull his awareness back, Jean was on top of him, yelling at him, mind to mind, from her bedroom on the second floor.

 _Jayden Mitchell! What the hell are you doing?!_

A smile crept on Jay's face as he imagined Jean so pissed off. _Nothing that is your concern, Miss Grey. I'd go back to your studies, if I were you._

 _You are impossible still, you know that?!_

 _I said this was none of your business. I was being honest._

 _You're looking for someone. Maybe, instead of sneaking into the school and playing with your powers, you can make it easy and ask? Hmm?_

 _Well, Jean, you see, that would be_ too _easy._ Jay laughed to himself, pulling his hand from the water and the gold fish. _I know that you and the Professor can get headaches from me or Danielle using our powers. I thought it would be a little more fun this way._

 _Dammit, why can't you just_ tell _me who you're looking for?! I don't need your coy answers today._

 _Well, he's kinda short, an asshole and constantly runs away. Familiar yet?_

Jean sighed in frustration. _You're so childish, Jay. Logan is alone and out in the woods. He's been out there recently because he feels it's better to watch the town there._

 _How convenient. It'll also be easier to hide a body. I'm sure I can find a way with Logan._

 _JAY!_ This time, Jean was extremely livid. _Seriously, stop acting like your sister. This isn't a game anymore._

His task complete, Jay proceeded to bid a fond farewell to Jean. _Well, my dearest Miss Grey, things are always a game and one is afoot. Now, if you would please excuse me, I need to find Logan and have a good talk with the nearly indestructible mutant._

 _Jay –_

Before Jean could go further, Jay had cut her off completely. With an idea of where Logan was, he got up from his seat on the fountain and walked towards the woods. Further in, when Jay decided it was a good idea to scan again, he caught Logan on the other end of the property. Taking his time, Jay turned himself invisible, hoping that he had the element of surprise and feeling like he needed to take another risk. Although he mentally heard Danielle groan because he was using too much of her energy too, he did not care. He was more interested in grasping what Logan's game plan was and why he was always badgering his kid sister.

It did not take long for Jay to find Logan's exact position. Although hidden in the higher branches of a tree near a stream and in camo from who knew what era, Logan seemed to be scouting a different direction in town. Jay followed his gaze from the bottom of the tree and found the older mutant to be eying the farmlands some miles from their own home. Unsure of why, Jay decided it was worth it to still be invisible and climb the tree to meet the older mutant. Quietly, he managed to get to Logan without a sound and sit next to him. Just before he could do anything though, Logan turned to him and released his claws, as if to give him a warning.

Suddenly, it was no longer fun. Jay opted to show his red eyes to Logan before appearing and changing the red shade back to their usual hazel. "How did you know I was here?" he asked Logan, unwilling to read his mind for the answer. "How did you know it was me?"

"I could smell you from a mile away," Logan replied, retracting his claws and turning away, his glance back on Salem Center. "Don't do it again, kid. I don't want to have to slice you."

"You can try." Jay felt pretty brazen then. "Anyway, I didn't come to sit in a tree with you to discuss why I shouldn't be running around invisible with you."

"If it's about Danielle, don't go there." Logan wasn't feeling patient enough to discuss the twelve-year-old yet. Her childishness and pity party didn't seem conversation worthy at the moment. "I saw her yesterday. I feel bad for your sister. I'm not willing to help her this time around though. Time for her to get on her own feet and see her way through this mess."

"Just enough to send her my way, right? Just so that she could be bothersome to me?" Jay sounded annoyed, although he was not ready to show that card yet. "You did help her in many ways, Logan. Just enough to keep her interest going. She loves you, _adores_ you in many ways. Don't encourage her."

"Hey, I'm was trying to help _you_ really, jackass." Now, Logan was irritated, turning to Jay. "You did not need to lock yourself in that damned room of yours and play the pity games your sister does. You're not a kid like her, although she needs all the help she could get without me around. You're a grown man who went off to war, just like I did, many times over. And I've lost women just like you did, asshole, women who I've held to the same esteem as you did with your wife, although I've never been married. I've lived a longer life than you have too, Jay, years in which I sometimes wonder if it was all worth it. Being over a hundred years old and aging slowly while everyone around you stays mortal and dies isn't a walk in the park. It's harsh."

Jay never thought of it that way before and was speechless, feeling surprised that Logan was so hard on him. He did not think of the older mutant along the same terms as he did. Although he planned on not asking about his love life right then and there, Jay was certain that there had been pain in that turbulent past of Logan's, more than just the usual death and betrayal. To live that over and over again and still stand is as unforgiving as Logan was claiming. It was a hell that Jay hoped that he never had to go through again.

"Your sister is the only one who can reach you and that's why I pushed her that way," Logan continued, as if he did not see that Jay was shocked into silence. "She's just a kid, not even a teenage, and already taking on adult roles, most of them starting from more than half her lifetime ago. She's got guts, don't let her fool you, and she plays with people for attention, just like you. However, you're better than that and have grown more than she has. I don't know what the hell happened in all of those years between you, her and everything else since I was not there, but I sure as hell am not going to allow it to continue. You can't put the war behind you. You sure can control it before it takes over your mind and affects your sister and son. Man up, Jay. Be the stronger one, for the kids."

There was a million things that Jay could have said. He could have made excuses to justify his behavior, punched Logan in the face and made a run for it or even decide that manipulating his mind was the best fun he had in a year. However, he knew that Logan was right. There were many things in his life that he could control. The things he could were so little that he hardly thought them of any worth in doing so. However, if he and Danielle had to survive, especially with a baby not even a year old, then he had to push himself to the maximum. He could not reason with insanity anymore.

"You can be the same asshole you've always been," Logan offered. "Just don't let it get to your family. Blood first before yourself."

"You really can make a guy think," Jay only said, trying to close the subject matter.

"Practice makes perfect." Logan shrugged his shoulders.

"What are you looking at?" Jay was finally curious.

"Someplace suspicious," Logan answered, his gaze back on the town.

"That much I figured." Jay bit down a sarcastic comment. "What's so special about it?"

"It's been said that someone has an extra hideaway house for things. What they're for, I can't tell, but there's fire there."

"They're burning something."

"I knew that. I could smell the ashes."

"Of what though?"

"Paper, sometimes a body. It depends on the day."

"And who murdered who."

"Nobody has reported anyone missing in town or in the neighboring cities in the last week, Jay. It could be from the Big Apple, for all we know. Hell, I could not be caught up on the news too."

"That's where Ellis has his offices."

"Right. It's also where the dying Trask Industries has been located. Its creator was arrested on treason charges and forgotten in federal prison, but his company still stands as proudly as it could."

"That's disturbing enough. I heard enough about Trask from my father before he left, enough to fill me with nightmares for months."

Logan had never heard Jay talk about Chameleon before and tried to still his curiosity. "Really?" he asked, interested. "Like what?"

"Experiments, torture, things like that." Jay made the list as if he was talking about the weather. "Think that Ellis would pick the company back up and buy it?"

"Why not?" It was an idea that Logan had not thought of. "A so-called revolutionary company out in the political world? It's a possibility."

"And one worth looking into."

"Does this mean you'll apply for that job?"

"I'm seriously thinking about it. If Teller is interested in me, then he'll want me there."

"It'll be no secret. He'll know why."

"And? It seems that he's a double agent anyway."

Logan was amazed that someone shared his opinion. "I thought so too," he said carefully, unwilling to allow nobody, not even Jay, to know if his secrets. "We'll see."

"Well, what Teller does for one, he might do for another," Jay theorized. "We'll see how that turns out. Regardless, is he doing applications in the bar?"

"I would assume so. I have not been there recently."

"Care to join me tonight?"

"Sounds like a plan. I don't have a hot date anyway."

"Not even with my sister?"

The tone was teasing and Logan knew it. However, that one question alone bothered him immensely. Everybody seemed to think that, because Danielle had a major crush on him, then he would indulge her in everything. It wasn't so. There was still the line that Logan was not going to cross. Thinking about it for the second time in two days boiled his blood. He kept his cool with Jay though, making himself the adult of the pair.

"I wasn't even thinking of it," Logan replied nonchalantly. "Besides, I'm more into the tall, dark and annoying types. You know, the kind that keep disappearing and reappearing? The master spy sort of person?"

"Oh, Roger?" Jay laughed. "He's just been a pain in the ass lately. He's been badgering Danielle more than me lately."

"I thought it was the other way around," Logan said, confused.

"I don't think so, Logan," Jay replied gravely. "Danielle would say that just so that nobody suspects what has been going on. The truth is, ever since Danielle was six and even as recently as a few years ago, Roger has been trying to get her into self-defense classes and turn her into an assassin. He claims it's in her blood and all, with our father so tough and the Vietnam War sniper, but I don't think so. There's an ulterior motive and I had yet to find out what it is."

This made Logan angry. "Why want Danielle?" he growled. "She's just a kid."

"It's a typical lament we all have," Jay continued. "However, it's not uncommon and one that I wish would be rare. Turning Danielle into a cold killer would be worse for her in the long run. With her already so needy, it might turn her into a person without a heart. She would be alone her whole life, waiting for her turn to die, and never lift a finger to help another again except to the next life. She would be in it for her own gain and might even turn on the same people who love her. That's what gets me. She might find ways to kill us all."


	30. Our Help or Hindrance

Logan did not intend to stick around Teller's bar for the night, drinking glass after glass of Jack Daniels at the counter. Reintroducing Jay at the door to Snake Eyes had been easy, although sitting alone and waiting for him to emerge from the back rooms had been another story and one that was making him edgy just with the waiting. Already, he was coincidentally hearing stories from this and that person, all of them rumors from the bigger towns than Salem Center and in the newspapers that Teller had around the place. Down in Yonkers, for example, there has been a serial killer, one that killed without discrimination and rumored to be a mutant. _That_ had been stated by the police too, most likely on the insistence of Leon Ellis.

Of course, that was what Logan figured. Ellis had been featured in all of the articles anyway, since it was his cousin, Peter Ellis (as well as his wife, Mary Belkin-Ellis), that was a neighbor of one of the victims. The two Ellis men had been interviewed, both stating that they believe the killer to be a mutant. Then, the article even went as far as giving an opinion, from churchgoers, God-fearing politicians and clergy alike, stating how the mutant problem had gotten out of hand, especially after they learned about them in Cuba and then in Washington, DC. All of them distorted the image of the typical mutant, referring to extremists such as Magnet and his Brotherhood of Mutants.

All of this angered Logan most of all. He took the newspaper that he had been reading and crumpled it up into a ball. He then took out a cigar and lit it, using it to set the newspaper on fire. From there, Logan walked from the counter to the fireplace recently installed in the business, to keep the cold out, and threw it in. While some mutants in the place applauded him, others looked on in undisguised disgust and heckled him. It was no matter to Logan, smoking the cigar as the ashes flew behind him and he went back to the counter. At least one piece of garbage had been taken out.

Logan returned to the counter only to see that he had a visitor who took his seat. He was about to pick an argument, so foul had his mood been with the news, when the stool whirled around itself. Sitting so smugly with a beer in his hand was Roger Mortimer. He took a sip from his bottle and smiled widely for Logan. He then motioned to the seat, the counter behind it still holding the empty shot glass Logan had been using.

"Lookin' for me?" Roger asked proudly, pulling up another stool for Logan. "Come on, Wolverine. You know me better than that."

Logan took the seat offered, still steaming. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked Roger, pulling his shot glass back and waving Snake Eyes over for the bottle of Jack Daniels.

"I heard you needed a word. I came."

"Yeah, but why here, of all places?"

"Why not? Teller doesn't mind. We have a mutual agreement. I don't play with fire in here and he doesn't slice my neck open with a diamond."

Roger flicked his fingers and a green flame appeared in his hands. He played with it for a minute absentmindedly, rolling it through his fingers and up and down his arm, before extinguishing it as Teller walked by with papers in his hands. When the bar owner's back was turned again, the green flame was back out and showed off. From behind the counter, Snake Eyes watched Roger warily, leaving swiftly when he saw a fight near the stage. In his place, a teenager came to serve them, taking away the bottle of Jack Daniels from Logan and not replacing it. If Logan could remember correctly, irritated as he was, the kid's name was Vinnie Paul, a sixteen-year-old runaway that had been with Teller since he was a child of five. He had been an orphan, Logan recalled, and one that grew up mean and too quiet for Logan's tastes. Not much else was known about Vinnie other than he handled the music and the shows and sometimes the counter.

"I've been in some pretty hectic situations lately, Logan," Roger continued, putting out the fire in his hands. "You see, it's been hard getting Jay out of his room until tonight."

"Yeah, and trying to get a kid to fight your dirty little battles." Logan wasn't pulling any punches on that point. He finished his cigar for the time being and clipped it in the ashtray, pocketing the last of it.

"Indeed. It seems that Danielle is a little more talented than most people give her credit for."

"She's also almost twelve years old, bub. Why can't you give her a few more years?"

"She could fool me, Logan. Looks like twenty and acts like forty at times."

"Yeah, we know what Danielle looks and acts like. We also know her true age and how clumsy she is. Give it a rest, Roger. Wait a few years for her, if this charade lasts that long. Let her be a child a few more times."

"We said that five years ago too." Roger looked squarely at Logan, beer sipped again and a thick file passed from his jacket pocket to Logan. "Ellis is dragging this out as far as he could and working with the crowds that he has. I've had a few reports from my people. Check these out."

Both Logan and Roger turned around, the latter eying the teenager behind the counter with contempt. It seemed that Roger had a few run-ins with the kid, Logan figured, and he was trying to be careful with silent eyes and ears serving their drinks. When Vinnie did not move and was observing their actions carefully, Logan released his left hand's claws in a threatening manner. The teenager grinned wickedly, moving his hand slightly in a wave before walking away. Just as their observer did, Logan felt himself run back into time, submerged underwater and loudly _screaming_ …

"Logan!" Roger suddenly appeared back in Logan's sight, the file back in his jacket pocket safely and the beer tipped on the floor. "Logan! Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm ok." Logan had not realized that he had been laying on the floor and got up, waving the crowds that gathered away, Teller included. "What the fuck happened?"

"Vinnie Paul," Roger replied, giving the older mutant a hand up as people started disappearing, all of them with a story to tell later. "He's got the uncanny ability to make your worst nightmares of the past a reality."

"You can say that again." Logan shook his head, allowing Roger to guide him back to his seat. As they both sat down, he added, "Is that all he's got?"

"Other than making your past come back to be the present in your mind? I don't think so." Roger frowned. "Why? Vinnie make you remember Stryker?"

The name struck a hard chord with Logan that he did not know he had. His claws immediately came out, smacking into the wooden counter and leaving large, deep marks in them. He breathed in and out deeply, willing himself not to kill Roger just by mentioning the name of the man who manipulated him and many others and left an adamantium skeleton in his body that made him almost indestructible. While far from Stryker's grasping ambitions for the time being, Logan still could not get over how horribly used he, as well as many others, had been under that one man's influence.

"How…did…you… _know_?" Logan demanded, his claws inching towards Roger slowly.

Roger backed away just as gently, taking a few steps back before bumping into Teller behind him. "It's not hard to look into things, Logan. Calm down. We've got other, more important business to conduct."

"Take it outside, Firebird!" Teller yelled, shoving Roger back towards Logan. "Wolverine, out of here too. I ain't paying for more damage to be fixed."

"Yeah, well, tell Vinnie to quit playing with people's minds then," Roger retorted, recovering as he tossed some money towards Teller and tugging Logan towards the door. While Logan retracted his claws and followed, he still felt the rage behind Stryker's name.

The two walked to the parking lot in the back of the bar. While not quite private, it still gave the pair some room to talk. Indeed, Roger realized this and managed to get Logan to a corner where nobody could overhear them. It gave Logan the time to calm down and Roger the same space. He was not surprised that Teller somehow crept up behind them and was there to see what happened. He supposed the fight Snake Eyes broke up just happened as they normally do, but sending Vinnie Paul to the counter had not been coincidence. That teenager was sent in for a reason and that was to check out why two from Xavier's school were together. Add in Jay for his interview (and who knew where the elder Mitchell sibling was at the moment), Teller was not showing that he was stupid.

"You ready?" Roger then asked Logan when he knew that they were alone, leaning against the brick building. "This is kinda important."

"As ready as I'll ever be." Logan still sounded brusque, taking out the last of his cigar and lighting it.

"Ok," Roger replied, taking out the file once more. "Now, I've picked up on some things happening in Salem Center. The most obvious has been Ellis. Now, he and Mae came from humble beginnings. He was a solider in Vietnam, came out and studied law, became a lawyer and politician within a few years of each other and went from there. Ever since he became a lawyer though, he has been moving into nicer houses. He even rents out his current residence in Salem Center to his relations, Peter Ellis and his wife Mary, when they're in town. He mostly lives in New York City or an apartment in DC."

"What's the point?" Logan wasn't patient this time around. "I knew Ellis has houses here and he has relations in 'em."

"The point is that something is wrong when an up and coming man buys shitty farm property," Roger said. "It's poorly managed, the house is run down and there hasn't been any produce from the place for over twenty years. It's barren and cheap and it stinks of conspiracy."

"So?" Logan did not care. "I knew this too."

"Think, Logan! Why would a rich politician buy property like that?"

"Possibly to be sleazy and hide something."

"Right! Ellis has installed Chameleon and sometimes Teller there. They're burning something there, mostly papers."

"And bodies."

Roger did not bother to hide his shock. "How do you know?"

"I can smell it," Logan admitted, finishing his cigar finally and tossing the stub under his boot. "Somebody is burning bodies over there. Could be hiding evidence from all the killings around New York."

"Could be," Roger conceded. "It's a thought for another day though. Could be for the next meeting."

Logan muttered something about meetings and idiots who put them together and annul them last minute. Roger concluded that it had something to do with the one that was supposed to be this morning and was cancelled for unknown reasons. He reasoned that maybe Hank or Alex had something happen and they needed to be elsewhere, since they were not at the mansion this morning and cancelled all of their classes too. However, it was annoying Logan more than Roger imagined and that alone was amusing. It could be something he could use against the older mutant later.

"Anything else?" Logan finally asked.

"Mutant population counting and questioning them," Roger answered. "Ellis has been picking up a random mutant or two and releasing them. It's unknown why. The mutants who were with Ellis said that he asked the most ridiculous questions and released them with money. He asked what powers they had, how they controlled them and if they knew anything about the local mutant communities, especially in Salem Center, New York."

"That's a bit nosy."

"Yeah. Information and rumor mill from the streets is never a good thing, for us and them. Somebody could be a double agent."

"We know a few already."

"Oh?"

Logan had not meant to reveal that and felt obligated to push away Roger's suspicions. "They'll show their hand when the time comes. Right now, we have anything on this cousin of Ellis?"

"Peter Ellis?" Roger spat on the ground. "Nothing more than a mule of his cousin. Pulled in for this cause, does his dirty work when told to and usually screws it up. Has an ambitious wife who was accused and acquitted of murder some years ago. No children with his wifey dearest, but he's a sneaky little bastard and is always asleep at the wheel when it's convenient to him. What more do you want to know? Peter Ellis isn't really a threat, I think. He has too little power to be of real interest."

"No." The person still bothered Logan though. "Think he'd be kicking around that farm though?"

"Could be." Roger rubbed his chin. "I'll check into it. My last thing is about the Mitchells. I know that Chameleon is in league with Ellis. However, my sources are telling me that he's being used."

"Kinda figured this a while ago." Logan groaned. " _That_ was obvious."

"Yeah, but Ellis is definitely looking at Chameleon's children, not just Teller," Roger corrected. "My men just confirmed it. It seems that Ellis has an interest in the Mitchell siblings' powers and how they work. He is also looking for any file on them, which is located with the Professor, last I knew. I don't know how and why yet with Ellis, but we are trying to find out the ins and outs with him and his little eyes on the Phantom Spectrum. It's tough to not look into an anti-mutant senator who likes mutants."

This made Logan turn cold, although he heard the term before. "Phantom Spectrum?"

"It's what Hank calls the Mitchells' powers. It's in the Professor's files somewhere." Roger waved his hand impatiently. "It runs a length we can't understand and they're both so like ghosts when it happens. Hank named it after Jay's codename, Phantom."

"Which makes Danielle _what_?"

"She calls herself a ghost, or so Hank said. She has yet to grow up and claim it."

"Yet, everyone would love her to."

Roger glared at Logan with what seemed to be innocence. "I hardly discern what you're talking about, Wolverine. Danielle is just a twelve year old student." The master spy soon turned around. "Ahh, Jay! How did the interview go?"

Jay Mitchell stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets and shrugged his shoulders. "Took some time to get the interview done, but I got it. I start tomorrow night, ten an hour with no benefits and nights off unless it's an emergency." His voice seemed prideful. "Teller was all over the place tonight. Any reason why?"

"Vinnie Paul, a fight and us," Roger replied, as if it explained it all.

Jay rolled his eyes. "And why he kicked you both out for the night?"

"Same reason." Roger shrugged his shoulders too, all in inconsequence. "Care to celebrate back at the school?"

Jay stared at both Logan and Roger with what seemed to be the same indifferent attitude Roger had. "Naw. I got a little sister who is staying up to see me and is possibly asleep on the couch, a baby who is waking up in five hours lookin' for food and a mother who might be dead in her bed, if not trying. Gonna need some sleep if the Reaper allows it."

Logan and Roger then watched Jay leave. As they did, they noticed that he used his powers to make himself invisible. They could hardly blame him. Patrols had been out in Salem Center, most of them searching for mutants, and most of the people involved had been civilians and not officers of the law. This would change, they both figured, and soon if they did nothing. They thought a new step had been made in this process already, but they would be a long shot. Jay Mitchell hardly was a confident person, although he was on the road to getting his life back together. Mostly cocky, Logan labeled him, and hardly recovered from war, loss and the family troubles, past and present.

"You think we made a good decision?" Logan asked Roger, unsure if his interference was a good thing or not now. "You think Jay would be able to help us?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Roger remarked. "It's possible that Jay would be a hindrance or he could be the greatest help we've had in years. However, I do not doubt that he has his vices and that he might drown in them here. Once his sister is forced into the game too, she would be following the same pathway too. I don't doubt it."

"She won't," Logan vowed. "Danielle isn't going to be led to some slaughter."

"I don't think you can stop this, Logan." Roger pointed to the bar next to them. "Ellis has been dragging it out for years. I told you what he wants. To what ends, we can hardly imagine now. Jay is in our inner circle and has declared himself a target now. This is what we work with and this is what we watch out for. Friends are friends, Wolverine. You can't choose them, nor can you pull them away from the depravity that calls to them, especially in their time of troubles. It'll be the same with Danielle. You'll see…and you won't be able to stop her either."


	31. Perfect Moments

**May 20, 2023**

Danielle felt the need to stop before she passed out in the middle of the exercise. Gently pulling away from Logan, she took a deep breath, trying to dispel the headache buzzing around her mind and the dizziness that clouded her eyes. Adjusting her vision and pushing the past from her mind, she glanced around them. Some time had passed already, maybe a couple of hours at the most, and the sun still hung high in the sky and might set soon. Danielle estimated that it was close to dinnertime and that there was time yet to get back and act as normally as possible, although her desperate power ripples were probably felt at the mansion.

"It all sounds familiar," Logan remarked, trying to get Danielle's attention.

"Huh?" Danielle still was not awake in the present. "What does?"

"Jay. He worked for Teller this whole time." Logan seemed sure of it.

"Yeah, he did," Danielle carefully said, working her mind around what Logan meant. "He worked there for a few years. Did he in your other life?"

"So you and many others have told me."

"Why? He didn't stick around that long? You didn't know him then?"

"Not personally, no."

Danielle did not want to push the issue and did not want to know somehow. The way that Logan talked about it made it seem sinister. It seemed that something happened in his other life and that it wasn't very pretty. He might have joined the cause later on than in this lifetime. He might have had problems before he met everyone at the school or was even when a wanderer. God knew that Logan was somewhat of one long in the past, before the government started keeping track of the population, and went through too many wars that made him a repentant loner for many years. The years with Xavier made him change, albeit it was slow and it took over twenty years to evolve into the person Danielle knew him to be.

"You ok?" Logan asked Danielle, noting that she was paler than usual, more so than before. He could almost see through her skin.

"Yes." Danielle seemed assertive about the answer. "I just feel like it's a coincidence that we're here."

"Really?" Logan looked around. "This is the place from your memories, if I remember right."

"Yes, it is. How did you figure? It's been changed a lot in over thirty years."

"In your memories, I can use all of my senses. The smell from 1991 is the same as it is today. The tree behind us is where I sat and you climbed up. The stream is probably someplace you've swam in when it was warm out. The clearing seems about the same length and space, give or take a few feet of trees growing."

"Yes." Danielle seemed excited by the deduction, feeling a smile play on her face. "I did. Jay, Jean, Scott, Matthew, Nightcrawler, Jubilee and Storm did go swimming in there too. It seemed to be the perfect place to be ourselves and not face the outside."

There seemed to be an awkward silence between the two afterward. Then, even though she still felt shaky, Danielle stood up, eying the tree behind them, the same one the two had met in time and again in their shared past. She had an idea and she was sure that Logan wasn't going to be too pleased about it. However, it was a chance to feel free, to be like the child she used to be, and it was a lovely thought, even for the moment she had it. She hardly had a stable childhood and acted her age in an adult world. There were so few times she could be herself.

"I know that look." Logan had stood up too, watching Danielle. "What are you planning?"

"You'll see." Danielle took her opportunity then, racing to the tree and scaling it with her remaining strength. She was up on the first branch in seconds, although it took the wind out of her. Finding a thick seat, she scooted over, waiting to see if Logan would join her.

"You're kidding me, right?" Logan was amused as he saw the action. "Climbing trees at your age?"

"I dare you to join me!" Danielle called out, as if it was a challenge. "Bet you that you can't get up here. You're still too heavy."

"Am not." Logan was caught up in the moment, chuckling at the thought of proving her wrong. He copied Danielle's movements and managed to sit down next to her, bending the branch down a little more.

The two stayed that way, entwining their hands together and watching the sun move slightly in the sky. The leaves shifted with the light breeze, whipping Danielle's hair in a few directions too with their touch. She then moved to lay her head on Logan's shoulder, feeling safe for the first time in a few days. It had been a pretty dangerous venture to even try this, she knew, and it was costing her more than her and Jay's energies. She was weary, so tired that she could hardly think. She needed some sleep, a deep slumber that would last for years to come. Being with Logan took some of the pain away, but not all of it.

What scared Danielle the most was how it was happening. It seemed that she was being sucked into death, an abyss that she could not avoid. She had chosen to live as long as she could and age slowly, just so that she and Logan could enjoy the lives that they wanted. Jay had opted out of it, being the polar opposite, just so that he and Fiona could do the same. She could not be sucked into the same lifestyle that Jay had chosen. It was not possible. Her body was not equipped that way like Jay's was now and never had been in some years. Besides, when one died, they were prepared for the transfer of powers from one to another.

 _And yet, here I am, my body aching for mortality and death._

Danielle did not want to think about it right now. The moment seemed too perfect, the best she had since before the whole incident began. The way her body was soon wrapped in Logan's arms, her head underneath his chin…it was right. They stayed that way for some time, enjoying the time alone, before they both heard some rustling some yards away. Danielle perked up and looked behind them. She saw shadows and heard voices of children. Hank was out with some of the students. Every year, he usually took them out hiking and sometimes camping at night. She motioned for Logan to be quiet. They then climbed down the tree quickly, holding hands as they followed a pathway that took them around the group. By the time they reached the edge of the line of trees, they smelled the beginnings of dinner cooking in the kitchen. Opting to separate their hands, the two proceeded to the fountain, sitting together there instead.

"Don't you ever miss the old life you've had?" Danielle asked randomly, more curious about where Logan came from and how he worked.

It was not an easy answer and no exact way to say it, although Danielle saw that Logan was very careful in what he said. "In some ways, I do," he admitted. "I won't ever regret you and the children though. It hasn't been my intention."

Just after a group of students passed the pair, Logan leaned forward and kissed Danielle on the forehead, holding her head against his chest for a moment before leaving to go inside. Danielle watched him leave, feeling giddy inside from the kiss. It left her breathless, even though it was not on the lips, and still utterly in love with Logan. She held her hand to her heart, feeling it beat faster and faster, just like the night they first slept together or even the long night at Teller's bar, when they danced in the masque and kissed through their assigned disguises. Small moments like those made Danielle more and more convinced that she and Logan had a relationship that would last, even though she had been an instigator and took advantage of him when she was a child.

 _He's still the same though. Even from another lifetime, Logan is still the same._

And that thought alone comforted Danielle, even when dinner was called an hour later. That feeling would stay with her for a while and give her hope.

~00~

The suddenly-called morning meeting the next day had been boring, even by Danielle's standards. While Xavier had glossed over the many issues the school had and put a few to the vote, he finally came to a decision on the AP and the art classes proposed. While indirectly stating that Logan and Scott had discussed the first issue the night before and came to an agreement, it was not one that pleased everyone, Scott especially. The next term, AP classes will be introduced and the credits accepted in all universities, but it would be a test run for the year and would be up for debate by next August. The second issue, discussed with Rogue, Kitty and Peter Rasputin, would be stalled, as they would need to find environment-friendly paper and writing utensils in order to have the art classes specified.

"Is there anything else we need to discuss?" Xavier than asked, looking to one and all teachers in the conference room. Hearing none raise a voice, not even a mental one, Xavier waved a hand of dismissal. "Meeting adjourned. Our next will be Friday evening at four."

Danielle heard a few groans as she got up, most of them from the younger adults, and mingled in the crowd before heading out. She soon met up with Logan outside the conference room door. Silently, they took note of each other and walked away, choosing not to talk to the other teachers. They went upstairs towards their room, bumping into Celeste before Logan even had the chance to unlock their bedroom door. While the nearly thirteen-year-old seemed to have a break in her daily complaints about Daken (which Danielle was seeing as a blessing today), she also had a look of concern on her face. It wasn't just for Logan either.

"What?" Danielle asked her, before Logan could interrogate the teenager.

"What's been going on?" Celeste seemed scared.

"What do you mean?" Danielle was confused and didn't bother reading her mind.

"There has been rumors again. Most of them evolve around Daddy."

"What?"

"Yeah. What's going on?"

"Nothing," Logan answered before Danielle continued the conversation and make matters worse. "Had a bad morning and now, I'm getting flak for it."

"But you've been acting weird all weekend, Daddy," Celeste protested, a pout on her lips. "Even I see this."

"And you want to make the gossip juicer by standing here?" Danielle did not want anyone hearing their family conversations and even doubted that anyone was interested at this point. However, she was hoping that Celeste would stop her questions in the most inappropriate places sometimes.

Without warning, Logan went up to Celeste, hugging her so tightly that Danielle thought the teenager would suffocate. "Look, if there was something wrong, you'd be the first to know. You know that."

"I would?" The tone was muffled, although Celeste was louder than she normally was.

"How many times do I need to tell you?" Logan petted Celeste's bright auburn hair gently, firmly leaving his hand suspended on the back of her head when he was done. "Quit listening to the others when it concerns this family. There are no secrets. I'll tell ya if something is wrong. I've had your back. Haven't I?"

"Yes, Daddy." Celeste suddenly broke from Logan's grip and kissed him on the cheek. "I gotta run. Science homework due tomorrow. See you at dinner?"

"Yes," Logan confirmed. "Out of here, will ya?"

Celeste darted for her bedroom door and closed it behind her. Logan watched her in amusement, recalling the Celeste from his other life. She had been the same way, he remembered. She was always clinging to him and never to Danielle, always choosing to pick an argument with her or Daken and never listen. They concluded that she was like her mother and they were trying to figure out how to go about it. However, their lives kept getting twisted around in many ways, traveling the world in search of safety and away from the Sentinels, watching the slaughters of humans and mutants alike and moaning under the oppression of men and women who believed themselves to be monarchs of the world and better than everyone, mutants most of all. There was no time to watch the children constantly and mold them into better people or solve their puerile problems. They had to learn early that the world was a dangerous place to be and that they weren't welcome in it except in their close traveling circle.

"You handled it well," Danielle commented coolly, noting how perfect Logan defused the situation.

"Practice?" Logan suggested, turning to unlocking their door. When the key clicked it open, the two entered and locked their world to everyone else, all before Daken could spot them. Logan had a feeling he would be next and it wasn't going to be pretty.

Feeling free of the adult restraints, Danielle jumped and then flopped on the bed, stretching out her arms and legs in a mocking fashion, almost like making an angel in the snow. Logan grinned, joining her and laying on top of her, leaning in for a kiss as her arms and legs wrapped around his body. Danielle returned the kiss and quickly shoved Logan off of her. She even dared to detain him by the wrists and sit on him, using him as if he was a horse. He only chuckled, using this vulnerable moment to be himself.

"So, what happens next?" Logan asked, meaning many things all at once.

"Oh, you need to study up for those AP classes, especially now," Danielle replied lightly. "We also need to cram in as much as we can before tomorrow. Think you have covered enough this weekend to pass through this coming week's classes?"

"I think so." Logan wrapped his arms around Danielle and inched under her shirt, snapping the back hooks of her bra off and pulling the straps down. He finally discarded the feminine torture device to the floor and pushed Danielle off of him, choosing instead to lay his head on her freed breasts. "I got this week covered."

"You sound excited," Danielle observed.

"I am. I'm also anxious about one more thing."

"Oh? What's that?"

"Continuing on that story." Logan sounded solemn.

"We could do that for a few hours before we have a little fun of our own," Danielle conceded, feeling a little more energetic than she was yesterday. She got up and pulled Logan with her and rubbed his forehead gently with her hands. "Now, close your eyes. This time, we need to be a little more relaxed. Less energy to use if we are."

"Why don't you sing me a song?" Logan always liked it when Danielle did. It comforted him in many ways because it was _her_.

Danielle grinned as an answer, only starting to hum softly when Logan obeyed her and calmed his mind and body after a few minutes. She took a deep breath when she paused her humming, continuing the song in the same vein just before picking the next moment in time. She then closed her eyes too, singing the last lines of the song.

 _And when silence greets  
My last goodbye,_ _  
_ _The words I need are  
In your eyes_ _a_ _nd I'll sing…_

 _So shine on, just shine on._ _  
_ _Close your eyes  
And they'll all be gone._ _  
_ _They can scream and shout  
That they've been sold out,  
But it paid for the cloud  
That we're dancing on._

 _So shine on, just shine on._ _  
_ _With your smile just  
As bright as the sun._ _  
_ _'Cause they're all just slaves  
To the gods they've made,_ _  
_ _But you and I just shone, just shone…_

* * *

 **Song lyrics are from the James Blunt song "Shine On".**


	32. This is Where It Begins

**September 30, 1991**

Six months after the job started with Teller, Danielle and Jay knew the routine, almost like regular clockwork. Although Danielle was no longer bunking at the mansion much except if it was an emergency, she was at the farmhouse before and after school hours, doing homework and helping her family with babysitting, chores and cooking. During the day, while she was away and Jay was sleeping off a night at Teller's, she knew that Mae Ellis came over to assist with their mother and Jax, although that was for a few hours a day. Shannon had hardly begun to function again when she was assigned responsibility of her only grandson and that alone made her more alert.

A new school year was underway too. Danielle had started on the equivalent of freshman high school courses and was moving forward in them too quickly. In less than four years, she was going to be graduating from Xavier's school and she had with no steady plans of leaving Salem Center yet. She figured that she would stick around and attend some community college, but she had no clear career for the future. Although this worried her, since it would bring her far away from her family, she would not allow it to consume her. Indeed, her attitude towards life in general had been the same. She would not allow it to bother her. It was now bottled up inside of her, unwilling to come out.

Another thing had been bothering her in the late summer and autumn weeks of September though, something she could not keep inside of her. Jay had been mumbling to himself, mostly around her, and it always had to deal with fighting, the military and what to do with her, all in the same sentences. It was worse when Roger came over, conferencing with Jay as if the two had a secret. Danielle could not figure it out, even going as far as trying to tap into Jay's mind, like the Professor (as well as Jay) had taught her to do. However, that did not work out. Jay had defended his plans carefully and that alone made his sister all the more frustrated.

It wasn't until the last weekend in September that Danielle learned of Jay and Roger's intentions. That morning, when Shannon was locked in her bedroom and Mae had decided to tend her and Jax, Roger again visited with Jay, coming in with Mae and scowling when she left him almost immediately. However, it didn't take long for the master spy to find the elder Mitchell sibling, who decided that he didn't feel like sleeping off his shift. The two were soon having coffee on the front porch, discussing this thing and that. Danielle watched them through the doorway, sitting on a stool at the kitchen island and sipping her own cup of coffee. She tried projecting her awareness outside, hoping to eavesdrop, but Jay got there first and blocked her. Unfair, in her opinion, and it left her continuing to wonder.

Close to noon, Danielle was getting bored with sipping on the caffeine and thinking of menial things to do. After watching Jay and Roger get four cups of coffee each, she decided that homework was the best route to go. Her curiosity unsated, she got up from the kitchen island and was about to go upstairs to her room when Jay entered the house again and called her name. Danielle turned around, hoping again to see what was going on, and only saw her brother with two of his swords in hand, their covers at each of his hips. She knew them to be part of his katana collection, one he started when he was overseas, and something that she was warned to never touch.

"How now, older brother?" Danielle teased, eying the shiny objects in Jay's hands. "What brings you here? To make me more miserable?"

"I was hoping you'd play with me outside," Jay offered, taking a katana and holding the handle towards her, the tip in his direction.

"Are you serious?" Danielle moved towards Jay, taking the handle of the katana and finding it heavy. "You trust me?"

"Why not?" Jay chuckled to himself as Danielle tried holding the katana without dropping it. "There are things you need to learn and this would be one of them."

"What?" Danielle was shocked.

"Yes. You're going to be learning how to use this, all sorts of knives, cleaning them, sharpening them and more. I'll teach you how to shot a firearm, aiming, safety…you name it, you'll learn it. Roger will be here to help too."

"Does Mom know?"

"What Mom does not know will not hurt her."

"She doesn't then."

"No, she won't. It'll be easier that way."

Danielle was about to ask why and the answer dawned on her before her lips formed the question. Her mother would forbid her and would want to protect her. Roger and Jay trusting her like this must mean that something was going on and they needed to prep her for it. It might be the reason why they were talking as they did for the past few months. It was a debate, Danielle realized, and one that would have taken some time to settle. She did not want to know who was on what side and why. All she was seeing was an opportunity, an outlet that would eventually allow her a way to hide behind a façade. She was yearning for a mask, one that would hide her pain, and now she was taking it.

"What will we learn first?" Danielle asked instead, steadying her hands and trying to copy her brother when she saw him use the sword.

"Giving that back to me," Jay replied, sheathing his other katana at his side and standing behind his sister, guiding her hands. "First though, you need to understand the katana. It's usually a three and a half foot weapon, capable of slicing big if used right. I've seen smaller and bigger ones than this. It's also an honorable weapon, used when you can acknowledge your enemy, their strengths and their masters. Now, put your hands here and here." Jay put Danielle's hands in an awkward angle to her, one on top of the handle and the other underneath. "Right. Now, carefully move it to the side, handle out, so I can take it."

Danielle obeyed Jay, holding it with all of her physical powers as he walked around her and faced her. Bowing to her, he took the katana by the handle and sheathed it on the other side. He then grinned at her, as if she did something right, and quickly moved in a jerking movement, so fast that Danielle could hardly see him. The next thing she knew, she was on her back on the cold kitchen floor and Jay was looking down at her, still smiling. Her head ached and her eyes were seeing red. She was pissed and showed it.

"First lesson in fighting," Jay said, holding his hand out for Danielle and watching her eyes change back to hazel. " _Never_ let your guard down. Watch your opponent and anticipate every move. You never know what he has as a weapon if at all, the skills he holds and the experience behind him. Can you remember that?"

"Yeah." Danielle groaned, allowing herself to be helped up. She rubbed the back of her head. "Why does this have to be so hard?"

"Because the hardest lessons are always the worst," Jay confirmed. "Because it'll take time and a lot of hurt before you become an expert. Now, come on, little sister. Let's go outside. We have some work to do."

~00~

 _I am a dominant gene,  
Live as I die.  
Never say forever  
'Cause forever's a lie.  
I can see right through it,  
So I can't ignore you.  
The story changes,  
But the ending will bore you._

 _I tried to tell you,  
But you simply obeyed.  
They didn't listen,  
So they threw you away_

 _Now all you do is talk.  
I don't wanna  
Hear your bullshit.  
Is this what you want?_

It had been a long afternoon and dusk when it ended. Jay and Roger together spent some hours of daylight teaching Danielle everything they knew. First, it was about safety and defense. Then, it was moves and weaknesses and how to anticipate action, something she learned from all of them some years before. Finally, they were beating her up in exercises that seem to last forever for her, the two prompting her in every way to attack back. Granted, they complimented Danielle on her swiftness and the ability to retreat when it was needed and would give her opportunities to get back at them. However, they could not get her to come forward and swing. She took hits and was already bruised and beaten for it.

As the sun was starting to go down, Roger stopped, seeing that their young charge was on the ground once more and was not moving. He studied her for a minute, unsure of what to think and hoping that she was not hurt enough to merit a hospital trip. She was very still, her lips the only thing in motion and they were quivering with fear, blood coming down from a cut on the bottom. He looked to Jay, the worried older brother, and shrugged his shoulders at him, relieved at the results. Jay did the same.

"She's out," Jay confirmed.

"For how long?" Roger asked, wanting to continue the fighting.

"As long as I can. I can give her a little energy and then she'll need to stop for the day. We've given her the biggest pounding that she can take in one shot."

"And someone is bound to notice. I'm sure the Professor, Alex and Hank will not be pleased."

"I don't think we were too tough on her though, Roger. She's been through worse and those three should know better."

"Yeah, like your father, right?"

Jay grimaced openly. "Yes, Danielle nearly died when his switch was flipped. It's part of the reason why she flinches. She was beaten to a bloody pulp by him and she almost died. She's been afraid of fast hand and foot movements since. We need to get it out of her."

 _This is where it begins.  
This is where it ends.  
This is where it begins  
And this is where it ends._

 _They called us  
A dead generation.  
They told us that  
We wouldn't survive  
They left us alone  
In the maelstrom.  
As you can see  
We're all plenty alive._

 _We know where you are  
And were coming.  
Let's see you say  
That shit to our face._

 _Thirty, thirty, one-fifty remembers.  
Thirty, thirty, one-fifty hates._

"How do you want to proceed with that, genius?" Roger was irritated by this small obstacle. "It's tough to get a kid to forget something from almost ten years ago. That's PTSD at its best."

"We might have to literally fight it out of her," Jay theorized. "She's a kid though, Roger. She's been through a lot already. I'm regretting treating her the way I did."

Roger put a reassuring hand on Jay's shoulder, a rare act from the stoic spy. "I think we all do, Jay. We all do. Unfortunately, she's a pawn in this game. We can't afford to wait. Ellis can strike any day and at any time. We need to ready her. She's very young, but she'll work it out."

Jay looked at his sister sadly. He was aware that Danielle was awake in her mind. He was not certain about her state of mind though. All the while talking to Roger, he did not check on her. In the meantime, Danielle was watching their every move, something she did practically without thinking. Almost unconscious, her mind seemed more open than normally and the awareness went wide without detection. Using this and Xavier's lessons on her powers, Danielle scanned the area. She slipped into Jay's mind unawares, his defenses down, and learned his next actions. It seemed too convenient, she thought, too _perfect_ a situation. She had an open move and she could take it.

It wasn't something Danielle would normally be working out. As a child, she would have her mind set on schoolwork, her family and even the farmlands and how she could hide in them. Now, it was a matter of life and death, even if it was practice. She had to frame herself in such a way that she could lose her life and to take her chances when she could. Once she could wake herself up physically, she could work her way to the nearest practice weapon and jump on Jay.

Soon, Jay sensed that something was different. "Did you feel that?" he asked Roger, unsure of what was going on.

"No." Roger took his hand from Jay's shoulder and turned to check on Danielle. "Oh, my God," he added.

"She's gone," Jay said as he noticed, worried. "I can't locate her either!"

 _In my own peculiar way,  
I feel mercurial.  
Before I get ahead  
Of myself again,  
I know the where,  
But I still don't know the when._

 _You wanna live  
In a one-sided world.  
Be prepared for  
A whole world of hurt.  
Now with the grand façade,  
I don't want to be an angel.  
I just want to be God!_

In a matter of seconds, Jay saw a slight shadow and then then reappearance of his sister. She had run for the porch invisible, where he held his equipment, and grabbed a wooden practice sword. She charged herself towards him and Roger, aiming towards the middle and not choosing which person she would get to first. The two split and went in opposite directions, Roger towards the road and Jay towards the backyard. Mid-run, Danielle made herself invisible again. This made both men worried. They could not tell where Danielle was, not even Jay. She blocked everyone from her mind and would not allow her brother to even see what she was up to.

Just as Roger turned from the road and headed to the porch, Jay did the same. Watching as Roger was pushed to the ground before the steps (his chin hitting the flat stone pathway), he tried avoiding the same mistake. Instead, within seconds, he jumped to the porch railing, grabbing the next practice sword in line, and propelled himself off, landing in a tumble and rolling. He then stood up, spinning in a full circular three-sixty, searching for his sister. Soon, he felt the wood on his back, jabbing him hard. He did not have time to turn around to meet Danielle.

 _They called us  
A dead generation.  
They told us that  
We wouldn't survive  
They left us alone  
In the maelstrom.  
As you can see  
We're all plenty alive._

 _We know where you are  
And were coming.  
Let's see you say  
That shit to our face._

 _Thirty, thirty, one-fifty remembers.  
Thirty, thirty, one-fifty hates._

Jay felt himself hit the ground, the practice sword out of his hands. He was soon facing Danielle, visible and angry. He rolled left and right when she trapped him, avoiding the sharp tip of the wood she held, and soon tried sweeping her off of her feet once more. That did not work. She was hopping over his feet. Finally, Jay managed to grab the wooden sword from her and pull. This almost made his sister tumble and become putty in his hands. Before he could connect to her mind though, she was gone again.

"Dammit!" Jay yelled, seeing that Roger recovered and was soon at his side. "Dammit, dammit, dammit! What have we done?"

"Made a monster?" Roger suggested, rubbing his jaw. "I don't know. You tell _me_ , Jay. What have we turned your sister into, other than invisible and in control of her own power?"

"We don't know where she is. It's like she just tapped into her powers and ran with it."

"Defense mechanism?"

"It's possible. Her power manifested after that incident with our father."

"We might have beaten her up too much, Phantom. Call it a day?"

"No." Jay was determined. "Not until I find her."

 _Oh I am a fucking machine,  
Fueled by the past.  
Memory's a memory  
Until it's a fact.  
I can bury the hatchet  
And let some shit go,  
But I got too  
Many grudges to hold._

 _Saw a lot of people  
Die in the end.  
I never want to walk  
That road again.  
Now I will never give up.  
I don't want to have it all.  
I just want to have enough!_

"What the hell is going on here?" Mae had heard the commotion all afternoon and had enough of the guessing games. Jax in her arms, she walked to the two men. "What are you two up to?"

"Umm…" Roger was trying to avoid answering Mae.

"Oh, my God. My God. You didn't." By the way Mae was talking and the way she saw everything in the porch and yard, she was more than furious. "You _did_! You turned that child into a fighting machine!"

"It wasn't all Roger's fault," Jay confirmed. "It was mine as well. We need her, Mae, more than you realize."

"You should have known better," Mae accused, the baby on her hip now. "For your son and sister, you should have known better. A child has no place in this mutant and human fight. Now what? She disappear on you?"

"And we can't find her," Jay admitted miserably.

"Well, I guess you're going to have to tell everyone," Mae said flippantly. "Danielle was supposed to be brought up in peace. You're making matters worse for her by compounding her problems."

Roger tried interjecting before Mae went into hysterics and in front of Jax too. "You don't know that," he protested. "You can see the future with this one. She can swing one way or the other and someone needs to control her. She won't be able to be a child. Not just the way you're planning."

"Prove it to me," Mae dared. "Prove to me that this is positive for her."

"Nothing in this world, especially for mutant, is positive," Jay pointed out. "It's also a death trap and we're all in the middle of it."

 _This is where it begins.  
This is where it ends.  
This is where it begins,  
And this is where it ends_

 _A dead generation.  
They told us that  
We wouldn't survive  
They left us alone  
In the maelstrom.  
As you can see  
We're all plenty alive._

 _We know where you are  
And were coming.  
Let's see you say  
That shit to our face._

 _Thirty, thirty, one-fifty remembers.  
Thirty, thirty, one-fifty hates…_

"And nobody can tell how we'd get out of the storm alive." Danielle, reappearing and with a lawn chair held over her head, swung. The cheap plastic seat hit Jay in the head, knocking him out unconscious and shattering pieces all over the yard.

"Danielle!" Mae screamed in a parental tone, looking to Roger for assistance. Roger could not speak, he was so shocked by the turn of event. "How could you do that to your brother? And in front of your nephew?"

"What?" Danielle looked first to Mae, then to Jax, Roger and Jay. "They told me to start fighting. I did. I survived and I'd do it again…just so that we can all live too."

It was then that Mae turned her gaze on Jay, still on the ground. There was no way for him to get up at the moment and bear the brunt of her anger, although she was willing to help him recover in order for him to hear it. However, that young girl who stood before her, full of triumph and pride, was bruised and bloodied. She now thought that this was the way to go, that her father's work on her would be her defense. That alone infuriated Mae to no end. However, there was a way to stop it…and she would do anything in her power to do it.

After all, it was a promise. Shannon would be proud of that and more, if only Mae was able to stop this madness before it avalanched to something worse.

* * *

 **Lyrics are from the Stone Sour song "30/30-150".**


	33. Disappointment

By early Monday morning, Danielle hardly remembered the weekend and somehow did not want to. Her head ached fiercely and her limbs were heavy, twitching every so often. She was too tired to even take the bus this morning, cupping her coffee in a travel mug and having Jay literally drag her to the bus stop. She even had to be woken up by the driver at her stop, led down the stairs and watched as she went through the school gates and down the driveway alone. From there, she had to make herself walk to the door and enter, joining the crowds that went to their first classes of the week. She could not remember which class she had first and just followed the other students, unsure of what else to do.

Indeed, it was a different feeling to be back than it was last Friday afternoon, although it had been three innocent days ago. Sleepy as she was, Danielle was searching through the crowds, eying everyone and what they were doing. People that she normally did not associate herself with were observed in the most meticulous fashion. She predicted things they would do and saw the consequences of their actions before it happened. Everything was in slow motion and went the way she predicted in her mind. Even sensing some friends behind her made her wary, as if they would do her harm.

"Danielle! Danielle!" Jean called out to the younger mutant from behind. Danielle turned around, seeing her, Scott and Ororo. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you recently, especially this weekend."

"Here and there." Danielle waited for the three to gather around her, although she felt that Scott was not pleased to be around her. "I've been pretty busy."

"Where did the cut come from?" Ororo pointed to Danielle's lips, noting the bruises where her skin wasn't covered too. "That looks bad."

"It's nothing," Danielle dismissed, waving her hand as she shifted her books in her other hand. "Did a lot of exercising this weekend."

Jean pursed her lips. "Why don't you sleep here tonight?" she asked. "We kinda miss you. We can help you with your schoolwork."

"Jay is expecting me back after class," Danielle replied as a way of answering, offering no other explanation. "I have to take the bus back this afternoon."

Ororo shrugged her shoulders. "Are you sure? I mean, I'm sure he can spare you for a night. You look tired, Danielle. You need some rest."

 _You have no idea._ Danielle refused to add any more fuel to this particular fire and blocked Jean's new efforts to probe. _And I'm not going to tell you anything._

"Well, what do you expect?" Scott sneered, unable to contain his resentment much longer. "Jay can't live without you. Your mother needs to be supervised all the time."

"So?" Danielle challenged. "I didn't ask for Fiona to be taken. I didn't ask for my nephew to be without supervision. I most certainly did not ask for my family to fall apart the way they did. Somebody needs to be there and to be supportive. Don't you think you understand? I mean, you and Alex lost your parents and each other for years. I've lost my aunt, grandmother and cousins. Family just isn't about blood and who you're related to. It's about being there for each other, despite the distance and years."

"You know _nothing_ about my family." Scott's voice was low and threatening. "Stay out of it."

"I know enough to empathize," Danielle said, trying to correct the situation although her energy was becoming hostile.

"Enough." Jean got between Scott and Danielle. "Scott, Storm, let's get going. We have classes at the college in an hour. I want to get a good parking spot."

Danielle smiled in farewell and was about to walk away when she heard Scott's voice again, taunting her even though Jean told them both to stop. She could not remember what it was about. Her mind raced when his voice danced through her ears, teasing her unmercifully about her family and how needy they were and how pathetic she was to play their tune. The next thing she knew, her books were scattered all over the hallway floor and she had Scott, several years old, taller and stronger, against the nearest wall and had punched him the face. As she held him by the shoulder in a vicelike grip, she felt blood rained down from his nose to her shirt. She was soon staring at him menacingly and hitting him on occasion, taunting him in return. Jean and Ororo tried pulling them apart, but Danielle's power prevented them from coming closer and touching either of them. It was out of their control, even with the crowds that decided that it was better to see a fight than it was to go to class.

Again, Danielle's mind went blank and her world went black. The next thing she remembered from Alex, Xavier and Logan separating them and clearing the other students out. Xavier had used his powers to tame her and Alex and Logan had gone in to pull the two apart. Logan held her arms behind her back and Alex grabbed Scott by the shoulder and yanked him to the side where Jean and Ororo stood. While the two older women appeared in every way horrified, they stared at Danielle with a curiosity and disappointment that made her embarrassed. Even Logan had the same feelings, hiding them behind a scowl that scared the remaining eavesdroppers away.

Once the last of the students had gone to class, Alex made Scott face him. "You feel better now, Scott?" he inquired, his tone angry. "Teasing a kid and being taken out by her too? She's half your size and almost a decade younger. Pick on someone your own size, like her brother, and get to the car. I'll drive you, Jean and Storm to class today."

"As for you, kid…" Logan turned Danielle around, only to see her eyes turn from hazel to red to an onyx black. The black stayed, something that startled Logan for a second before he recalled his words. "Quit your fighting. Office. _Now_."

It seemed worse than Danielle thought. While Alex herded the three older mutants, Logan (picking up Danielle's books and backpack) and Xavier took her to the latter's office. While relieved to see that Hank was not there and that she was turning back to normal (eyes and all), Danielle was still nervous nonetheless. She took a seat before Xavier's desk just as Logan closed the door behind them. While the Professor was behind his own desk and still wordless, he still watched Logan go from the door to the seat next to Danielle. The older mutant held onto Danielle's books too, never freeing them and allowing his great disappointment to roll from his body, like he wanted Danielle to know of his feelings.

Xavier started the conversation, his tone very serious. "You know the rules, Danielle."

"I do." The young mutant bowed her head in shame.

"You also know what it means to control your powers," Xavier continued, almost as if Danielle had not said anything.

"I do. This…just happened. I don't know how." The panic in Danielle's voice was obvious. Xavier took note of it and turned to Logan.

"I think you partially do have an idea," Logan interjected. "I think this weekend has been a little too exciting for you. Don't you think?"

"What are you talking about?" Danielle tried making her voice less nervous and succeeded, masking her insecurities through her stoic disguise.

"Mae Ellis isn't the only one who saw what happened the past few days," Logan explained. "She also isn't the only one who is putting a stop to this."

"You can't stop the future from coming though," Danielle suddenly blurted out, unsure of where the words came from. "You can't secure a bright one for someone who has none."

"What?" Xavier was calm in the outburst, although his stern exterior remained. "What do you mean?"

Danielle felt her eyes turn red in defense again. "How can you stand there and pretend that nothing is the matter? We all know what is happening out there, with the mutants, the chaos and the senator who hates us so. He demonstrated his powers over a year ago. He came out in public just a year ago and killed so many people. It's plain to see that he is willing to kill us all, especially us in the safe haven that we have. He's willing to come out for more and chose one of us to get his means met."

"What does that have to do with your future?" Xavier inquired, his tone still the same.

"There is none for me," Danielle confirmed, still feeling like her voice was not her own and her eyes were changing to black. The room's walls even turned silver and blue and felt very cold. "If you continue down this pathway, there will be consequences and they will be ones that you will regret for the rest of your life. You seem to think I'm too young. I am not. I never have been. I've lost that innocence a long time ago."

Logan was about to say something, noting how strange Danielle was acting, but Xavier put a hand out to stop him. "What are they?" The Professor was seeing a new development in the powers of the Mitchell siblings and seemed anxious to see what they were. "Those consequences you speak of?"

"There won't be a way to hide us at this point," Danielle continued, ignoring the questions. "There won't be a way to stop the destruction now."

Xavier and Logan exchanged quizzical looks. The former tried easing Danielle back to normal. Her powers blocked him from entering though and that alone made Xavier worried. He tried seeing if there was a break in her defenses and found none. Undeterred, he tried reassuring Danielle mentally that she was in good company and that she was in no danger. Although this did not allow him inside still, she did start turning back to her normal self. She trusted the situation, however much she felt that she could not control the power behind the suspicions, and that was something she could not understand. By then, with a wave of her hands, the room turned back to its usual colors and the warmth returned.

"Do you remember what we said?" Xavier then inquired of Danielle, seeing what she recalled since coming into his office.

"You said I should have known better and should have controlled my powers better," Danielle replied, unsure of where this was going and what happened. She felt secretive about what else she said, unsure if she should admit it or not and choosing the latter. "I'm very sorry, Professor."

"I think a day suspended is enough," Xavier decided, seeing it as light. "Return here in the morning. If you wait here for a few minutes, I will get your assignments and will send you any notes from your classes. I'll also talk with Scott after his brother."

"Yes, Professor." Danielle bowed her head again, eying Xavier as he left his office and she was left with Logan. She saw the older mutant to be more inquisitive than he normally was, although he tried his hardest to keep it quelled.

"You know, kid –" Logan started.

"Don't!" Danielle warned, not caring that she interrupted Logan. "Please don't. I don't want to hear it, Logan."

"Hey, I was going to offer to go after Scott for you." Logan took out a cigar, fingering it. The urge to smoke it had been high, ever since he and Xavier broke up the fight.

"No." That answer was final.

"Why? He's been on my nerves too. Him and Jean both, more him than her."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. It involves boundaries and children. That's another story for another day. I don't know what made you snap at him though, but I'm sure it was worth it."

"I honestly don't know what happened," Danielle confessed honestly, as if this was all a terrible dream and it became reality. "We were butting heads and he was insulting my family. Next thing I knew, I was punching him in the face. Then, I'm in and out of here, like I wasn't me."

Logan nodded, trying to skip the topic of her insane powers. "You got off lucky, kid. For everything."

"You're disappointed in me. Many people are."

"A little. I'm also not admitting other things though and I can't speak for the others. Professor would discipline me too if he knew."

"The gossip will be bad."

"For all of us, I would think. Just keep you head high, Danielle. Face down the words. They mean a lot to people if you allow it to get to ya. I also think Scott is getting the worse of it. He may not be taking classes here anymore, but he also lives here with Alex because it's his home. A little embarrassing to have a twelve-year-old beat the hell out of you in your own home, don't you think?"

"Yeah…" Danielle allowed her word to trail, sensing that Xavier was near. While she and Logan put back up the masks, she was sure that Xavier had an idea that they were talking and it wasn't about being a better person either.

Xavier soon reentered the office, handing Danielle a list of her assignments for the day. As the Professor wheeled back to his desk, he folded his hands across the top seriously. "We shall see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, Professor. Thank you." Danielle stood up and took her books from Logan. "I will be here tomorrow morning."

The two watched Danielle leave the office. Xavier waited a few minutes and then breathed a sigh of relief. Logan assumed that he checked to make sure that Danielle left the premises and would have done anything in his power to do so if she had not. He then watched the Professor wheel behind him, taking a file off of a shelf, and put it on his desk, blowing the dust off of the pages and opening it. He took a pen and wrote something at the end of it quickly before closing it and facing Logan.

"What was that all about?" Logan was not sure what to think of Danielle's strange words. "It doesn't seem the kid was herself."

"She's not," Xavier confirmed. "You know some of her powers, Logan. Others, we are not so sure about. Jay didn't develop any telepathy until after Danielle manifested her powers and they showed me and Erik how intense they were. Since then, small things have been shown through one or the other or even both. Hank and I believe that they are more in tune with things than most would be, much like Jean would pick up the negative aspects of a person in dreams. They could pick up on the future or even manipulate themselves and others to ensure their safety."

"That last part I'm sure Roger and her brother are working on." Logan felt bitter, even betrayed, that the two would put Danielle through such rigor training. "Did you see the cuts and bruises on her face and arms? Mae said it was worse on Saturday."

"So I have heard, Logan."

"What can we do to stop it?"

"Nothing."

" _Nothing_?!" Logan was shocked.

Xavier raised his hands to calm the older mutant down. "Logan, I could order Roger and Jay to stop their ministrations, just as I did the year before, and it might work. They won't though and they would continue down the pathway they started. They are right that Ellis is eying Danielle most of all and would have done anything to reach her. However, she is too young and malleable still. It might be better to have those two with her than Senator Ellis."

Logan did not agree. "We could protect her."

"To what end?" Xavier seemed tired of the topic. "The school? Our lives? And then, how many more? Logan, there are students here that are in need of a home and would be disturbed by something like this. I could disregard Danielle's words, but they seem like a warning and a genuine one that we cannot ignore. I don't like it. However, it might be worse for her if she did not go along with what Roger and Jay have planned for her this whole time. For all I know, Roger Mortimer could see something that I do not and refuse to tell me yet."

"It's happened before," Logan pointed out. "We can't afford this though. We cannot send a child into an adult world. I thought that this had been agreed on. Don't you think that Danielle has been through enough already? Does she truly need this?"

"No," Xavier replied, hoping to end the subject. "In many ways, through different students, we see that none of them have truly been children. Look around the school, Logan! All of the children and adults that live here have broken lives and Danielle isn't the only one who is feeling the same way. Most are runaways, searching for a new home and a place of acceptance. Others have been sent here through their families, most of them unwilling to be reasoned with and admit that their children have special and unique powers that humanity can use. It's a fine line we have to draw. We are a help to humanity in ways that they cannot see. We are also a refuge and a place of rest for those too weary to live their lives longer. In that way, I suppose, we are alike with Teller. However, even Phineas Teller would have a problem in sending children to do an adult's job."

"And what would you need me to do?" Logan was sure Xavier had another job for him and it wasn't just security and bringing Ellis to his knees.

"Tone it done if you can," Xavier requested. "You stand between life and death for Danielle at this point. She may not confine in you like she used to, Logan, but she trusts you and that's enough. She's a girl without many friends she can call her own. If she has at least one person in her corner, one who she can go to without scruples, then she might make it. Heed this though, Logan. As you have seen, the Mitchell family is a whirlwind of complication and dysfunction. Don't get caught up in their drama. It might make it worse."

"I will," Logan promised. "I'll do all that I can."

Little did Logan know where this promise would bring him and the consequences of it. In that bright morning in Xavier's office, he would have promised the headmaster of the mutant school anything, especially to keep that enchanting girl safe from harm and the school away from the discriminating, prying eyes. However, that alone took him to places he did not see and his actions would become his downfall.


	34. Comforting Promises

Danielle did not bother waiting for the town bus to come back. Figuring the early October day to be too nice to miss, she decided to walk home. While over an hour's walk away from the school, Danielle did not care .At the moment, she was ashamed and frightened of herself and her new skills. She did not realize how badly exhausted she was and how this made her ill-tempered. She _never_ had hit another person like Scott before, even when she was angry. She's kicked items around a room, slammed bedrooms doors and even screamed obscenities on top of her lungs. Punching someone in the face? That was new.

By the time Danielle reached the farmhouse, it was noontime and she was as hot as the sun above her. She walked across the lawn without embarrassment anymore, seeing her mother's astonished face as she sat on the porch with Jax, and went inside without saying a word to Shannon. Curious and over her amazement, Shannon followed her daughter inside, Jax on her right hip, and watched her daughter as she unpacked her backpack on the island. A list of homework was on top of the pile, all in Xavier's hand, and Danielle followed it meticulously. The curiosity soon turned to irritation quickly though.

"What did you do?" Shannon demanded as soon as Danielle was done unpacking and setting herself to her schoolwork.

"I got suspended," Danielle admitted, not wanting to lie to her mother. She was sure that Xavier would have called sooner or later.

"What?!" Shannon could not believe her ears. "You got _suspended_? For what?"

"Punching Scott Summers in the face a few times."

"What?! Did he start something?"

"Yeah, making fun of this family. My temper got the better of me."

Shannon shook her head, unwilling to accept that her daughter was capable of fighting. "You know better, Danielle."

"I know, Mom. I already got shamed by the Professor and Logan. No need to remind me."

"You're grounded."

"So?" Danielle shrugged her shoulders, taking out her biology book and opening it to the reading. "You can't defend this family and you make us appear to be fools. You're never there for me anyway. Like you discipline me too?"

Shannon was taken aback. "You want me to take away your music and books too?"

Danielle did not even look at her mother, taking out a notebook to write her notes from her biology book. "I dare you. I can live without."

"I ought to slap you, the way you're talking."

"I can hit back."

"You wouldn't."

"You can dare me, Mom. I won't take anything from you either."

"What has gotten into you? What happened to the Danielle that I used to know?"

Danielle actually did not know how to answer that question. Shannon was right. She _had_ changed and it wasn't any better. However, Roger and Jay reassured her that it would be for the best. It would be to save her life and those around her. It would be in case something bad happened and nobody was there for her. There was a chance, a way for Danielle Mitchell to survive in the crumbling world around her. However, that training was making her not care and that included the mother who bore her and ignored her.

Just before Danielle could form her reply, Jay entered with a package in his hands. "What happened?" he immediately asked, hiding the bundle behind his back and cringing when he saw his sister at the island. "Danielle, why are you home early?"

"Ask Mom." Danielle was in no mood for repeating herself over and over again. She also wasn't keen on talking with her brother either, especially after hitting him in the head with a chair and then some over the weekend.

Jay turned to his mother. "What happened, Mom?"

Shannon adjusted Jax and put him on her other hip. "Danielle is claiming that she punched Scott Summers in the face for talking negatively about our family."

Jay tipped his head back and laughed. "Is _that_ all? She punched Scott in the face?"

"Jay!" Shannon was astonished. "This is Danielle we're talking about. This isn't a good example to her or to your son."

"No, it's not." Jay sobered up quickly, seeing the seriousness of the topic. "However, that guy had it coming. He's been running his mouth the wrong way for some years now. I'm surprised I didn't get to him when I did. Danielle tackling him? That's gotta bruise his ego for a while."

Shannon was about to say something, but stopped herself. Jay saw this and put a hand on his mother's shoulder gently, still hiding his package. He motioned with his head that she leave for a little while so that he could talk with Danielle alone. Shannon was hesitant. When she saw Jay's face though, she consented to the request, turning around and going outside. She proposed to Jax that they take a walk, proceeding to go to the garage for the baby carriage.

When Shannon was out of earshot and taking Jax down the road already, Jay pulled a stool up next to Danielle and put the square-shaped bundle on the island. "It's been a bad day, hasn't it?" he enquired her, feeling foolish for stating the obvious.

"You have no idea." Danielle looked up from her biology book and notes. "I thought it would be a good day too."

"You were groggy all morning. How can you consider that good?"

"I don't know."

"Well, you perked up when Scott was being an asshole."

Danielle shrugged her shoulders. "I really don't know what happened. Everything went black or in a blur."

"Honestly?" Jay thought this piece of information interesting.

"Yeah. And I talked with the Professor and Logan. Something happened in there that I can't remember too. I am suspended for a day though. I have to return tomorrow morning."

"Fair enough for now. I won't give you a hard time. I believe that Scott deserved what he got. Such a nasty guy when he wants to be, although I have to give him kudos for leadership and initiative. Anyway, here."

Jay handed Danielle the package, watching the quizzical glance cross his sister's face. "What is it?" she asked, feeling the object heavy.

"Open it." Jay indicated a corner of the wrapping.

Danielle listened to the advice, taking the shown corner and ripping the paper apart. She noticed immediately that it was book, which she did not mind. She loved books of all kinds and was very well read for someone her age. What she did not expect was what it was. Well-worn and flipped through for years, she saw that it was Jay's copy of _The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe_ , a book that she knew was never out of his sight and read by him alone, never to be shared…until now.

"Why?" Danielle was surprised and that word was the only one she could mutter. "Why?"

"Because life is too dark and we all have to walk in it, alone or with company." Jay opened the book in Danielle's hands and pointed to a poem. "Have you ever read 'The Raven'? It's one of his greatest works."

"I've read 'Annabel Lee' some years ago," Danielle admitted shyly, reading silently to where Jay pointed.

 _Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,  
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore –  
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,  
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door –  
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door –  
Only this and nothing more."_

 _Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;  
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.  
Eagerly I wished the morrow – vainly I had sought to borrow  
From my books surcease of sorrow – sorrow for the lost Lenore –  
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore –  
Nameless __here_ _forevermore._

Danielle could not help herself after that. Sucked into the feelings of the desolate scholar who was brokenhearted from the loss of his beloved Lenore, she continued reading the poem, ending after three pages. She savored the ending though, rereading it four times before finally putting the book down.

 _And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting,_ still _is sitting  
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;  
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,  
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;  
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor  
Shall be lifted – nevermore!_

Jay watched Danielle's reaction in amusement. "It's a great poem," he offered. "It's like the end of a dark tunnel. It's an image we're all familiar with. You're just listening to a bird on top of a bust and listening to it talk to you about how the end and then there's death, coming out to get you. Or, this is what I think of it. What do you think?"

"I…I think it's uplifting," Danielle admitted. "It's comforting to read that one is sending out the same feelings as the next person."

Now left to her own devices and reading fast, Danielle went to the next poem and spent the rest of the afternoon reading poem after poem, then one short story after another. By the time dinnertime came and Jay was expected to be with Teller for the night, she had read three quarters of the book and had not gotten any of her schoolwork done. She even went as far as reading at the dining room table, although that had been banned years before, and even talked through her reading to her mother and brother. By the time it was bedtime, she completed the book. Not quite satisfied, she reread "The Raven" and even "Lenore" once more before committing herself back to the schoolwork. Alone in her bedroom and close to midnight, halfway through her note taking, she even went through the latter poem on her head once more, reliving its simple rhyme and relishing the time in which she would spend reading those words over and over again.

Peccavimus; _but rave not thus! And let a Sabbath song  
Go up to God so solemnly the dead may feel so wrong!  
The sweet Lenore hath "gone before", with Hope, that flew beside  
Leaving thee wild for the dear child that should have been thy bride –  
For her, the fair and __debonair_ _, that now so lowly lies,  
The life upon her yellow hair but not within her eyes –  
The life still there, upon her hair – the death upon her eyes._

~00~

The next morning did not come soon enough. Extremely tired from his night cleaning, boring investigations and tossing people out the door, Jay drove to the mansion on his motorcycle, the dawn sun behind him. He parked his vehicle in the garage and made his way upstairs once more, quietly so that none were woken up by his footsteps. He hoped for an hour or so in the kitchen with some coffee and then onto his personal business before going home to some semi-restful slumbers. Just as he entered through the side door though, he saw Logan standing before him, blocking his way in.

Jay closed the door behind him. "Get some sleep?" he asked Logan, yawning.

"What are you doing here?" Logan crossed his arms and ignored Jay's question, irritated to have to deal with the early morning slip-in.

"Innocent cup of coffee." Jay waved his hand over to the kitchen down the other hallway. "Then, I've got something to do before going home and making sure my sister made it to the bus and my mother did not die on me."

"Scott." Logan knew Jay was here for the younger Summers siblings.

"Right."

"He's been beaten by Danielle already. His brother, Storm and Jean chewed his ear off too. What more do you want to give him?"

"A piece of my mind." Jay smiled. "Just a friendly reminder from the neighborhood crazy guy."

"No."

"Logan, you can't deny me."

"Look, Jay, I don't like Scott Summers much either, but I'm still here to protect the people of this school. That means _all_ of them. You can't tell me I'm not going to be denying you entry. I am."

"I promise that I won't punch him in the face. Just letting him know that there are darker people out there than he is and chasing my sister isn't kosher with me."

By then, a few more early risers had arrived, hearing the commotion. Lorna Dane, back from her run around the mansion, and Alex had entered the scene, seeing Logan with Jay. A worried glance crossed Alex's face. However, when he saw the intent Jay had, he relaxed a little. Lorna was not feeling the same way though. Since she heard of what happened the day before, she was hoping that Jay Mitchell would not arrive at the school and bother Scott. Now, her worst case scenario had come true.

Lorna played with her green hair warily. "Jay," she greeted coolly, feeling cold sweat run down her back. "What brings you here?"

"Coffee and personal business," Jay repeated, not wanting to give specifics.

"It's been taken care of, Jay," Alex added, wanting to reassure him and Lorna both. "Go home and get some sleep. Forget the coffee. I'm sure we'll hear of your report soon enough."

"You don't know what I wanna say to Scott," Jay protested. "I'm not here to fight. I'm here to remind everyone that family is family and that there is no messing with it."

"That _would_ cause a fight," Lorna pointed out.

"What I'm sayin'," Logan said. "No way, Jay. Come another day or wait until Scott is off of this property. Then, he's all yours."

"Besides, he's not here," Lorna added honestly. "He's been spending his overnights elsewhere."

"What?" This threw Jay off. "Where?"

Alex pursed his lips together, wanting to tell the truth and choosing not to. "He's on an errand for us," he admitted to Jay, not wanting to add more until Xavier said to (and thanking Logan for not saying anything at the same time). "Wait until he comes back. Then, he's all yours. Just keep it out of the school, ok?"

"Deal." Jay somehow did not want to know what Scott was up to. He watched as Lorna and Alex left together for their breakfast and then was about to leave when Logan tapped him on the back shoulder.

"Listen, Jay, I know where Scott is." Logan appeared uncomfortable about it. "Want to take a drive together? I can explain everything I was told the night before."

This alone made the elder Mitchell sibling suspicious. "Why? Something happen and I didn't know about it?"

"Yeah," Logan said, opening the door so the two can go downstairs to the garage. "It happened before anyone knew it did. Hank placed Scott in a dangerous spot, worse than what we got with Teller."

"And he spends nights there now?" Jay followed Logan's direction and walked down the winding stairs.

"In exchange for some information, yes. It's confined, underground and pretty secure. Should be quiet there now. Perfect time to leave and catch up."

"We're being played by the people here then?"

"Not quite. We're both on observation and picking up what we can. Scott is a double agent."

"Who decided on this brainy plan?"

"Hank actually. He saw a chance and took it. Not too many people are pleased with it, but it had to be done. Scott was approached by Ellis and his men and given an offer. He only took enough time to think about it, he told Ellis. The only person he managed to find to talk to about it was Hank."

"I understand. However, it makes our positions a little harder and apprehensive. Teller would be looking at us."

"And you don't think he knows we're not on his side? Or that he's not on Ellis' side?" Logan felt it time to tell Jay at least that. "Teller has been playing everyone for years. He just slaves under Ellis because that's the best place he has now."

"Like my father?"

By the time they reached Jay's motorcycle was when the younger mutant asked Logan the odd question. It took Logan by surprise. In those three words alone, there was longing to believe that one's father was a good guy, even in a little way, and that he didn't wish his children dead. In a way, Logan thought that Chameleon had a soft spot for his children. From that one conversation some time ago, Logan figured as much. Now, with the revelation about Teller, Jay needed some sort of reassurance about his father. Like Danielle, he was still an insecure man in need of some self-assurance. He needed it more than his cocky attitude to get him through. He needed strength in words and actions.

"I would believe so," Logan answered honestly. "Now, you can carry two?"

"Sure." Jay smiled. "You want the keys?"

Logan had to smile in return, taking the keys from Jay when it was offered. "I'd be honored. Just be ready for a wild ride."

* * *

 **The poems above are from Edgar Allan Poe. The first is "The Raven" and the other "Lenore".**


	35. A Need to Tip the Scales

Logan had to take the back roads to get to their destination. Although passing the Mitchell farmhouse and Roger's wooden cabin in the woods down the road, he went further into the woods of Salem Center and soon rode into uncharted trails. Eventually, after skidding a few times in some dirty road near the border of the next town, Logan stopped. Jay hopped off of his bike and looked around him. He sensed the area, deeming it safe for now, and took the keys from Logan, parking the bike at the side of the road, hidden from view.

Indeed, there was nothing except trees, hills and some plant life. Jay was about to ask Logan what the hell they were doing near the town of Westchester when he noticed that there a man cover on some lawn. Logan motioned Jay to come closer. The two then lifted the heavy cover simultaneously and rolled it to one side. Logan then took the initiative, climbing down the thin slippery ladder steps to an underground tier. There were many doorways, eight of them total, and it took Logan a minute to recall which one Scott had been assigned to. Taking the one in the most northerly direction, he led Jay down a dimly-lit pathway, more tomb than anything else. Jay noted the grey stoned that characterized the way they followed, the bars that held cells of variously decaying bodies and the rooms that were offices full of papers, desks, chairs and the occasional trophy on the wall.

 _Death_ was everywhere down here. Jay shivered with the thought, continuing his walk with Logan. Finally nearing the end, Logan stopped at a doorway on the left and knocked a special way, one long and three short. The door opened slightly, with Scott's bright ruby red glasses highlighting it. He did not acknowledge them directly, only opening the entranceway a little wider so that the two could enter. He did appear nervous, Logan noted, and it wasn't just because they came to see him.

As soon as Scott closed the door behind him, he faced Logan and Jay. "What are you doing here?" His voice was not very welcome. "Ellis is coming back in a few hours."

"I don't think anyone is going to catch us anytime soon," Logan said confidentially. "Now that we're all together like some big, happy family, you can explain to us what is going on. Hank told me the basics."

Scott did not want to share anything, but seeing that he had no choice in allies, he obliged. "There hasn't been too much going on with Phineas Teller," he admitted. "Other than the occasion meeting with Chameleon out in the open, there's been nothing except drunks."

"And too many kids making themselves local stars." Jay nodded.

"He trusts too few, I think, and Ellis even less," Scott continued, frowning. "Chameleon and Teller have been sneaky in their activities for Ellis, even going as far as burning things on the new property, but it has yet to be proven who is doing what. It's so muddled there. However, Ellis talking with mutants hasn't been new."

"Neither is using them, but that's beside the point." Jay was growing impatient.

"Well, he came up to me yesterday at school." Scott appeared embarrassed about the incident. "He knew about me, I think, and the many things I was unhappy with. He connected the dots and figured that the bouncer, Jay, was a spy, Roger Mortimer was in the ring, especially with his sister so close to our master spy, and Logan was sitting on the fence. He then went to the younger set of people uninvolved with this conspiracy so far as he figured. He first went to Storm and Jean actually, just minutes before me. I was just the first to say I would do it. Those two might not be able to accept."

"Doing what exactly?"

"Jay Mitchell, confused and asking too many questions? I am surprised. Senator Ellis asked me to be his agent. You know, watch things at the school and report back to him."

"And Hank was the only one on the scene?"

"Yes. I think the Professor has been already informed. I will be reporting back to him, Hank and my brother when I am released. I will be giving Ellis or his silly agents false information. My brother hardly agrees with the arrangement, but, hey, we all can't get what we want, can we?"

"No." Jay's lips felt as cold as his hands. "What else does Ellis want?"

"You." Scott barked out a laugh. "Danielle. Logan dead. The school shut down. Mutants incarcerated. To be leader of the so-called free world. What else do you think?"

"Leader of a free world?" Logan glanced around him. "What free world?"

"Exactly." Scott nodded. "We know the ultimate position wanted. The why and how of the situation is still eluding us. Why would he want the Mitchell siblings? Why continue to use unreliable people? Talk with the typical mutants and shush them with money? Buy shitty property?"

Logan already answered some of those questions himself and allowed Scott the room to spit them out. Then, Logan chimed in. "If being leader of this country is his goal, then we need to do anything we can to stop that. How did he slip that to you?"

"Anybody can find out information." Scott pointed to the vents behind him. "This is why we have to be careful here. As far as I know, nobody is here."

Logan nodded. He wouldn't be putting them in danger.

"Ellis told Chameleon and Teller, when they were here, that he was interested in heading the US and the countries on this continent into a mutant-free society," Scott continued. "He wanted to become more than a senator with a lifetime term on Congress. He wanted to have more power."

"Pretty strange that he would admit it to people he doesn't trust," Jay observed.

"But he has power over them." Scott turned to Jay. "Chameleon and Teller are just steps to the goal we don't want him achieving. They're malleable and easily disposed of."

"Any other threats we should be aware of?" Logan was keenly alert for those.

"Nothing that I thought interesting except for one." Scott paused. "Ellis is planning something against the school. I don't have a clue what it is yet. He keeps claiming that it would eliminate it for good if there isn't any interference. He also wants Chameleon to do the deed and to bury the item, whatever it is."

"He can make himself invisible and would be able to make anything he touches the same way." Jay grinned grimly. "We have to be careful with him. He may follow blindly, but he's no fool. He'll sneak in and out without detection."

"I'm sure the Professor would be able to find him," Scott boosted.

"Jean is capable of it too, if she tunes in," Jay added, almost as if to top what Scott had to say. "Indeed, so can me and my sister. I'm sure the school has enough protection. And with Logan on Teller's case, I'm sure we'll come up with something."

"I'm sure." Scott looked at Logan with disdain. "Well, you should be leaving now. People should be coming here soon."

Logan nodded. He was about to turn to leave Scott's room when he saw a quick movement next to him. Jay had inched closer to Scott and soon had him lifted and pinned up against a wall. Even with his feet dangling off of the ground and Jay's menacing stare at him, Scott did not appear afraid. He only smiled, almost as if he was daring Jay to do better than he was. Logan swore that he saw Scott start to laugh too, but if he did, he suppressed it. Jay appeared in every way to be wanting to kill if the wrong word was said or an action done.

"I promised everyone I wasn't going to hurt you, asshole," Jay started, "and I'll be saying this once. You leave my family alone. I don't know what conspired between you and Danielle, but I see she did a pretty good job of roughing you up. Must have been good if you mouthed off."

"Jay –" Logan moved to separate the two and get out before they were caught, but Jay managed to control his movement. Logan struggled to get closer and felt his body, even his mouth, become immobile.

"We have to be friends, see," Jay continued, "and I would hate destroying what's left of your little fragile mind and having your girlfriend put it back together. So, you leave us alone and we'll leave you alone. We're pretty good at it."

Jay released Scott without another word and turned to walk away. Just as he reached the doorway, he released Logan from his invisible grip. Logan proceeded to follow Jay, guiding him back to the center tier. They then climbed up the ladder and put the cover back on. From there, they went to the motorcycle. Jay elected himself to the driver this time, groaning when Logan leaned in as a passenger. Cursing the older mutant with the adamantium skeleton, Jay asked where they should go to next.

"The school," Logan answered automatically. "I have some questions of my own."

"Jean and Storm maybe?" Jay heard something behind them and put the bike in gear.

"Yeah, if I can find them," Logan yelled over the wind. "From there, I think talking with Hank would be a good idea."

"Why?"

"Because the Fuzzball is an annoying pain in the ass."

Jay could not disagree. He continued to track the roads back towards Salem Center. He and Logan did not continue the conversation, although many questions of his own popped up. The main one was why Ellis wanted him and Danielle. There was no special reason an anti-mutant senator would need one of the most unique pairs of mutants around the country and one with more than two powers to boot. Indeed, there was no reason he would need mutants anyway if he was so against them.

 _There is something wrong here._ Even without evidence in so many years, Jay felt determined to get to the bottom of the problems. That much he promised himself.

~00~

Jay dropped Logan off just after classes started and headed home to the farmhouse. Thanking the elder Mitchell sibling for the ride back, Logan walked back inside the mansion, drinking in the quiet of the hallways. Hearing lectures all around him made him wary of becoming loud though. Instead, he sniffed out where Hank McCoy might be since he knew Jean and Ororo to be at the college. Walking slowly, he went down the same hallway that the music room was in, hidden still and empty of all students, and found the blue mutant in there, sitting at the desk and appearing in every way to be correcting some papers. When he heard Logan, he looked up and smiled, motioning for him to come in.

"What brings you here, Logan?" Hank asked cheerfully.

"We have a lot of things to talk about, Fuzzball." Logan dragged a chair before the desk and stared at Hank as he sat in it, back of the chair against his chest. "Late last night, I heard of a new plot against Senator Ellis."

"Ah, you mean Scott." Hank displayed no surprise, even though he felt it.

"Yeah. Remember, I heard through you where he was, how to reach him and why he's there. It's not a pleasant place, let me tell you. It just reminds us of how Ellis is everywhere."

"So?"

" _So_ , he's reaching into our community, Hank. He's reaching the school."

"Yes, I understand that. There is nothing we can do about it at the present moment. We can send what Ellis wants and he still will not be satisfied."

Logan huffed out frustrated air. "Hank, this is getting too dangerous and reaching the wrong people. Scott isn't in a great position to be an agent."

"And he has to learn," Hank declared. "He has been taught, Logan, and he has leadership and problem solving skills that can get him out of his situation. You're still tottering one way and the other as Ellis sees it. Teller and Chameleon are collateral, for when something does not go his way. Jay is a balm and hardly what he is searching for without his sister. Scott is neutral, one that has been heard to complain, tease and scoff."

"You can say that again," Logan muttered.

"Nobody likes it," Hank continued, "but we hardly had time and a choice. I think Charles and Alex would have protested either way. In the end, they would have seen that it was necessary and possibly more dangerous than even Scott realizes."

"I think you underestimate the people who are doing this," Logan accused Hank harshly.

"And I believe you are doing the same concerning Ellis," Hank countered calmly. "Logan, you've been sitting with Teller for some years now. Granted, the two of you seem to be buddies and tell no secrets and that is getting nowhere. Ellis might think you on one side and the other, but we are not seeing results from your trips other than the occasion conversation and maybe meeting up with one or two people."

"Roger and I believe Ellis is going about this slowly and not telling his people everything," Logan admitted. "We've been through this before, Fuzzball. Worse, there are more double agents out there than you think because of this move."

"You believe that Teller is one of them?"

"Yes. Chameleon might be as well, but that remains to be seen. I've heard regret from him and maybe some drunken words. Nothing more."

"We might be able to turn the tide a little, don't you think?"

"I agree. The timing isn't right though."

"How do you figure, Logan?"

"I think Teller is too deep with Ellis. We might be able to use him in some ways, information and such, but not a lot. Once Ellis has truly thrown the gauntlet at Teller and perhaps Chameleon too, then we might be able to use them. I can do the best I can to persuade him."

"Do it and I'd say do it now," Hank urged. "When are you going next?"

"Well, if you need this done as soon as possible, then tonight." Logan had not planned on going to Teller's then and was more interested in Ellis' extra farmhouse. However, Hank was desperate and Logan could not turn this offer down.

"Good." Hank frowned. "Work on it as fast as you can, Logan. This might tip the scales a little."

"And turn the rest of the mutant community against Ellis?" Logan did not doubt Teller's powers of persuasion.

"Right." Hank moved back to his grading, but then remembered something else and looked back up. "There is something Charles needed me to tell you, something we decided on last night, just after I let them know about Scott and before I told you the news. We have one more card up our sleeves and one I'm sure you won't like."

Logan crossed his arm, already not liking what Hank was saying. The words seemed wary and even dreading.

"We need all of the support from the mutant communities that are available," Hank continued. "Teller has some people he can send our way if he is on our side. However, this is something we agreed would be worked on. There are other small, neutral pockets of mutants here and there elsewhere who do not care either way how life goes. However, we factored in one more sect and one that would surely get as low as Roger Mortimer is willing to go and will bring in more support."

"Who?" Logan was dreading the answer.

Hank almost hesitated in telling Logan the truth too. "Magneto and his Brotherhood."


	36. The Downside

He had been in something like a daze when the truth came out. Logan did not know time and space when Hank admitted that they would be courting with one of the most famous mutant terrorists groups in the US and perhaps the world. He did not even bother scouting the school like he normally did or storming into Xavier's office to demand that tactics change. He found a seat by the fountain and sat there for some hours, not moving or thinking, head in his hands and forgetting that he wanted to talk to Jean and Ororo. The next thing he knew, the final bell rang and the children had been freed for the day. Many of them came his way, going around him cautiously as if he would snap at them as he normally did, and went to the basketball court. Sighing inwardly, Logan got up and walked towards the woods. A voice behind him stopped him before he reached the outer limits though.

"What's wrong, Logan?"

Logan turned around and saw Jean. "Nothing," he reassured her. "Nothing you can concern yourself with."

"When someone is in danger, I do get concerned." Jean moved a little closer, halting some feet before Logan and almost daring herself to be more assertive with the older mutant. "Scott is out there, getting special privileges and giving information to Senator Ellis, and there's nothing I can do to make this any better. I can't even accept being the same kind of person he is choosing himself."

Jean's presence unnerved Logan, more so than usual, and it wasn't because she was older and prettier than five years ago. "It's a pretty tight spot for any of you," he said, as if cheering up Jean. "Hank didn't have much of a choice. He took his chances."

"And you?" Jean moved a little closer, as much as she dared. Her body shook, most likely in fear. "What are yours?"

"What? My chances?" Logan laughed. "Really, Jean, my chances are in hell."

"There's a lot to be said about Ellis too. His chances are about the same as yours."

"I doubt it. A powerful man in politics with connections is not likely to be falling anytime soon."

"But a man like him _can_ fall. It might takes years. It does happen though."

Jean finally dared herself to stand before Logan, choosing to suppress the shaking. She was so close that Logan could smell her perfume like she had sprayed it on just the moment before. It was maddening, he thought, to be standing here with Jean, with her aura so intense. She was making no sense. On top of that, the perfume was enough to make Logan choke.

"Go forward," Jean urged Logan. "Make a move that might change what's on the chessboard. Get to the other end of the board and make yourself better than a pawn."

"How would you know of these things?" Logan asked her. "Jean, you're hardly here and aren't at the meetings."

"Alex tells Lorna and Scott and Scott tells me," Jean corrected. "I'm also not blind to what Senator Ellis is doing either. I'm not a child anymore, Logan. I'm nineteen years old and have been out of the school for some time now. I can see the world for what it is. Most certainly, especially after the events of some years back, you should know that nothing can get past me."

"Do you have to go along with them too?" Logan moaned, annoyed. "Do you need to be involved in this, just like the rest?"

"In this school, we all are involved, Logan. You can't deny, from the youngest child to the oldest instructor, that each of us will be affected by what Ellis is doing. Now, are you going to make your move or we are going to continue to stall?"

"Stall?"

"Logan, it's been some time since something happened. It's been a tough year all the way around. However, it's time something is changed. You can't let the small things bother you. You're not a pawn. You're going to be heading the other end and you're becoming a power of your own."

"Jean –"

"Hush." Jean put a finger on Logan's lips and kissed his forehead quickly. "Just do me a favor."

"Depends on what it is." Logan felt his face redden from the kiss.

"Watch out for Scott," Jean requested, sounding very serious. "See what Ellis wants with him and do all you can to protect him."

That was fair enough. "I can do all I can, Jean," Logan promised. "Someone wants to kill him and I'm not there? Nothing much I can do about it."

"That's all I'm asking." Jean backed away slowly. "Now, you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"Again, nothing to concern yourself with." Logan smiled, hoping that Jean wasn't brazen enough to find the information out herself in the most disrespectful way. By then though, he had enough to talking with her and his questions of earlier, for her and Ororo both, faded into memory. "There are too many things on my mind that you can't fix."

"Like Danielle?"

The name froze Logan. "There is no fixing that girl, Jean. We can all try, but she's been broken before we were in the picture."

Jean shrugged her shoulders, her gentle red hair shaking with the motion. "There's no stopping her either."

All and all, Logan was now getting annoyed, especially where the awkward conversation was going. "Don't you have an evening class to go to?"

"Yes." Jean checked a watch on her wrist. "You're right. I should be going. I'll see you later, Logan."

Jean turned around, walking back towards the school. Logan was relieved to be alone at last, especially with the swirling turmoil inside of him, and went into the woods. Blending right in, he felt more at home and wondered why he had not disappeared on Xavier in some years now, almost ten years really. He kept that thought to himself on the reason why and soon found his usual hiding place in the tree by the stream. He climbed up, perching on a high branch and checking out the town. He did not see anything unusual in Salem Center, although he sure that that was about to change.

Logan thought that Jean (and Hank in his own way) was right. He needed to do more than just sit there at Teller's, eavesdropping and drinking. There was more to this work right now than there was a couple of years ago. He did see that chance to step up and show his hand. Nowadays, ever since innocents had been killed and wives missing, it had been too dangerous to show that sort of change. Now, Logan was seeing that perhaps it was time to talk with Teller.

It was all up to the bar owner. It was going to be in his hands whether or not there can be a connection and if the two can play along as more than just agents. They would be walking on eggshells when it came to Ellis.

~00~

Logan had actually been bored all night. His determination to talk with Teller had slipped the more the night fled. By two-thirty in the morning, when the bar closed and Teller was cleaning up, Logan was about to finish his pitcher of beer. He had allowed it to linger too long and it tasted too stale, but that it did not seem to matter when it came down to talking to Teller. He waited patiently enough, even giving Vinnie Paul some evil looks to scare him away, and was awarded for that virtue when Teller himself came to the counter. He was cleaning glasses, although his eyes were on Logan.

"Bar's closed, Wolverine," Teller reminded him. "Two-thirty on the dot and the doors are shut. Get out of here."

"Not done." Logan indicated the last glass of beer he had in his hands, drank it, and then stared at Teller for a minute. "Besides, we need to talk."

"Oh?" Teller was interested, his mind still on cleaning and his eyes on ensuring that there were no smudges in his glasses. His cloth was perfect in making mirrors of the glasses.

"It's time for us to be honest, Teller. You switch sides every so often that I am wondering if you're in this for just you."

"What do you mean?"

"You gained Ellis' trust and shot him to the top. What was in it for you?"

"A chance for mutants like us. He turned against us and held things against us."

"Right. You've been playing his side and ours."

Teller faced Logan finally, putting his items down. "I don't know what you're talking about, Wolverine. Get out of here. The bar is _closed_."

"No unless I get some promises out of you," Logan vowed. "We all know that nobody is getting out alive with Ellis holding so much power over our heads. You can show him that it's real and come out with your ass intact in the end if you play your cards right."

Teller's eyes shone a different shade and he put a hand to his cheek, a black diamond itching to come out. "Logan, get –"

"No, not until we get this straight," Logan interjected, standing up and shoving his stool to the floor. He immediately grabbed Teller across the counter and held up upright, his other hand releasing the adamantium claws he so despised, the silver tips nicking Teller's throat. "And you're going to listen and listen _now_. I know who you are and what you've been up to. You've confessed it. You like Ellis too much and it's getting you too deep. You also like this mutant community too much and are willing to put a hand out to those who don't go to Xavier's. Make the stand and pick a side. You can't be making your own this time."

" _Please_ ," Teller begged.

"You and Chameleon need to do something about Ellis," Logan warned, "or we will. There's no stopping us. It might take us some time, but it'll get done and the war that's coming will end with too many lives lost. Me? I'm the best there is at what I do…and what I do best isn't very nice. I've had to get down and dirty ever since I was recruited to this little mission and it's been hitting my want to settling down someplace ever since. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do though. It's about time you and Chameleon do the same."

Logan released Teller and retracted his claws. Picking up the stool again and brushing off some imaginary dirt, he sat back down again and watched for Teller's reaction. The bar owner was still surprised at what happened and it took some minutes for him to regain his composure. He loudly coughed, rubbing the beaded dots of blood from his neck before daring to look at Logan again. Although shaky, he still had some spunk left.

"Things that should be said cannot be spoken out loud," Teller reminded Logan. "Maybe it's time you learn that."

"I don't think it's best to deal in one of your sleazy rooms." Logan took out a cigar and lit it. The smoke swirled around him and Teller, creating a bubble that they alone were inside of.

Teller shrugged his shoulders. "Your problem now, not mine. I don't commit too much, Logan, but when I do, there's always gain. Ellis has made promises and more. We made ours and more too. There's no stopping that."

"There can be."

"How?"

"You enlighten me, Teller. I've seen you do it."

"Seen…what exactly?"

"Oh, this little rebellion and that. Don't act stupid. You speak in truths in the dark and lie in the light. Extend a hand in the right direction and maybe the rewards of that would be more fulfilling than those Ellis would possibly give at a later point."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Teller glanced quickly over in Vinnie's direction before facing Logan once more.

Logan turned his tone a little softer, hoping to be less menacing. "Money isn't a reward, Teller. Safeguarding the protection of all people, human and mutant, _is_. You have a chance to change the course. _Do it_. Do it before this consumes you and makes a demon out of you. You cannot hide behind a mask of a bar owner forever. Eventually, with his anti-mutant attitude and the laws he wants enacted, Ellis will come after you and Chameleon. By then, you'll be regretting the day you ever tried lending him a hand."

Teller paused, picking up the glass and cloth once more. His mind was back on his cleaning and his eyes were averted. "So tell me this truthfully, Wolverine…is there a way out of the darkness we all sought in the beginning?"

"If I was able to get out of there, will that help you with your journey?" Logan asked in return, still smoking.

"No," Teller admitted. "However, there is one thing I would need out of you to make this seem real."

"What?"

"Ellis wants the Mitchell siblings."

"We know this. Why?"

"Their powers."

" _What_?"

"You heard me, Logan. Ellis likes their powers too much. He sees the potential in them to use them in his campaign to smear the mutants and their names. Plus, there's a downside to this and one that I did not expect."

"What?" The way Teller pointed out bad news made Logan a little nervous.

"The good senator has had the pleasure of seeing Danielle on and off from afar ever since she was a little girl," Teller replied. "He's been eying her like candy."

Logan's heart sank. " _No_."

"Yes, Wolverine," Teller reiterated again. "Senator Leon Ellis is in love with the lovely Danielle Mitchell. What is she, twelve, thirteen?"

"Twelve," Logan confirmed.

"See? And the girl looks like she's in her twenties. She could fool anyone."

"So, you're telling me that Ellis… _loves_ …Danielle Mitchell?"

"Without a doubt, Logan." Teller put his glass and cloth down. "Ellis saw her some years ago in town with Shannon once and asked around to know who she was and how old. When he learned that she was a mutant and extremely young at that, he lamented that fact and took upon himself the undertaking of making her perfect, a _human_. He has been imagining the life they would have later, when she would be the wife of his dreams and he the provider and protector. He still has that dream. No matter what it takes, no matter the destruction he wrecked upon society itself, he is more than willing to possess Danielle Mitchell…or he will die in the effort. This is why we need her, Logan. You need to allow her to grow up and hand her over to the dark exile sometime, sooner rather than later."

* * *

 **The line from Logan to Teller ("I'm the best there is at what I do...") comes from the comics and also from _X-Men: Origins_. **


	37. Kill, Ignore and Save

**April 1, 1993**

Two years had passed since Teller and Logan made their agreement. Since then, the world changed around them, in many ways better or worse, depending on the situation. Logan found it at an impasse, if he had to be honest with himself, although he found the excursions to Teller's a tad more interesting than what they used to be. Other than renovating and bringing in new acts (most of them young runaways with uncontrollable powers or mutant adults escaping jail), Logan felt himself enjoying the bright nightly life Teller provided. Even so, it was best when the bar owner was on the same page as Logan, although that had turned into a sticky business indeed.

Ellis, as well as Teller and Chameleon, were becoming impatient about their progress, although the mutants were becoming a more negative fad and one that Logan knew wasn't easy. However, the last two years saw a rise in the popular opinion that the mutants needed to be tamed. Ellis was also on the same wave, riding higher and higher and becoming more and more powerful on the senate floor. Even on his many vacation days, he was traveling the country, spreading the word, from the poor to the rich and of every race, religion and ethnicity, that the mutants were out to get them and they would stop it nothing to bring the world down and in ruins. They needed to be jailed, Ellis was insisting. They needed to be controlled and kept in prison so that humankind would be saved.

All the while, the same senator had been coming home often to Salem Center to instruct Teller and Chameleon. While the latter had shown his face maybe twice in so many years, he was still rumored to be around town, especially at the farmhouse Ellis still owned. Logan never asked Teller about Chameleon and just liked their honest chatter about everything else. Honestly, although keeping more and more to himself, Logan was more than happy to run over there, risk being picked up by the police, and run his claws through Chameleon's little heart. Logan did not care that he would be killing the Mitchell siblings' father. It would be worth his while to do it and eliminate a threat at the same time.

All and all though, it had been a disquieting two years, if Logan thought about it as he downed another shot of Jack Daniels. Scott had been used as a double agent still, although he was realizing that Cyclops was becoming a liability to Ellis and one that might be killed off. This worried Jean and even Ororo, although the two had been too busy with their love lives to really think about the world drama unfolding around them. Matthew Adams, the Mitchell cousin, had been seen the walls of a jail cell more often than not, mostly for protesting the abuse of mutants, all he while keeping his eyes on Ororo Munroe, even though he was still dating the very stylish Jubilee on and off.

It got tougher on his end. Jay had kept his job with Teller and continue to get as much as he could out of it. Mae Ellis and Roger Mortimer had been a steady couple for years, although that was coming apart each time the latter decided to run off on his assignments. Magneto and his Brotherhood had been called rarely, although they had been used by Roger mostly and without details to the others. Xavier, Hank, Alex and even Lorna was seeing the situation worsen and still felt the need to play the hand they had before making another move. This Logan agreed with, although he was dreading the day that Teller was looking forward to.

It all had to do with a young woman, nearly fourteen years old and with an old man in Congress who love with her. Danielle Mitchell, the apple of most people's eyes, had turned from a bubbly kid, a pest who followed Logan in every turn, to a teenager almost obsessed with death and loneliness. The change had been gradual and slow, Logan realized with a start as he poured himself another shot and drank. Over the course of the two years since her introduction to becoming a fighting machine for her brother and Roger Mortimer, she had crawling farther and farther into a shell that nobody could pull her out of. Even Jay, the ever-present brother, could not get her to talk. She was careful and soft with her words, quiet in her demeanor and almost like a whisper in the society in which she grew up in. She was frightening to deal with and going down a road that Logan continued to protest vigorously to Xavier, Hank and Alex, always with no results. The three understood that it was a rough patch in her life without feeling the need to intervene since nothing illegal was involved. They saw that she was still doing well with her classes (better than over ninety-nine percent of her classmates) and was on her way to becoming one of the youngest people to graduate from Xavier's school.

Even a wooing from Teller's little minion made Logan want to cringe. Vinnie Paul, a well-known local of Salem Center and an acknowledged asshole and ladies' man, picked Danielle off of the streets on her way to McDonald's one day a few months before and it's been on and off dates ever since. Danielle has not publically shown how she felt about Vinnie, although she has smiled a few times in his presence and even given him a kiss the handful of times Vinnie decided to drop her off at the mansion for school. Each time Logan thought about it, he felt his claws wanting to be freed. He was so tempted to kill the bastard, most of all for endangering a naïve teenager.

It was a bad situation and a most disorganized one if Logan ever saw it. Circumstances out of everyone's control and outside factors seem to show their failure in stopping Ellis and it was something Hank, Xavier and Alex were painfully aware of. They still had Ellis' final goal and that was more than they bargained for. They did not understand the means in which he was achieving it though. That's what bothered Logan the most, worse than Vinnie Paul trying to steadily date Danielle Mitchell. The steps to the end was going to their downfall.

"Here, Logan." Teller came up to the older mutant and poured more Jack Daniels into the shot glass before Logan had a chance to do it himself. "That's about sixteen shots. When you gonna stop, old man?"

"When I want to." Logan drank down the shot. "Got some extra cigars in the back?"

Teller nodded. "Come with me."

It had been their routine and a code of a sort. When Logan felt the need to talk to Teller and vice versa, Logan would ask for something to smoke or Teller would remind him of the cigars in the back. Either way, the two would head to the back room with the thickest walls, the same that Logan had seen Teller in with Chameleon, and the door would close. By then, Vinnie, Jay and Snake Eyes would take charge of the bar and report back to Teller if something went wrong. However, it would be a while before Teller would emerge. His conversations with Logan were always in-depth, long-winded and very secret.

This was a way the two could exchange information without someone spying on them. In two years, Logan learned that Fiona was still alive, that Scott was in danger everyday and that Ellis had a list of people to kill and had not shown Teller yet. In turn, Teller learned how to work with Xavier once more and had gone back and forth not only with mutant runaways, but also keeping anything told to him a secret. Like Scott, Teller was piling Ellis with false information, most of it the same and sometimes varying, and although it slowed the senator down in his plans, it just made them appear in every way to be a group with too many chiefs and too many corners Ellis like peeking around. It was better than admitting that Xavier's people were disorganized and without aim.

"Ok, Wolverine, you got me." Teller shut the door to their inner sanctum and watched as Logan lit up a cigar at their table. He walked around the table to the far wall. "What's up?"

"Oh, the usual," Logan replied, the smoke filling the room quickly. "Wanted to ask you a few things."

"When don't we ply each other with those then?"

Logan ignored the barb. "So, tell me about Vinnie."

"The image monster?" Teller had to laugh. "I've been keeping him a state secret, haven't I?"

"Well, it annoys me that I hear things about him from the grapevine."

"You mean Roger Mortimer, right?"

"Regardless. Tell me about the kid."

"He's no kid, let me tell you." Teller seemed serious, rubbing his chin with his right hand. "I picked up from the streets when he was just six. Without realizing it, he sent his parents into an insane asylum. Gave them pictures of their worst nightmares when his father tried disciplining him. He was so scared of what he did that he ran away. Middle of winter one night, I saw him trying to sneak into this bar while I was talking with Firebird and the Professor when we were all friendly with each other. He tried pulling the same tricks on me, but Xavier was there to save me. Professor offered the kid a spot in his school, but Vinnie was still so scared that he clung onto me and could not be persuaded otherwise. First and only time Charles Xavier lost a student to me like that. Made me promise to take care of him like a son."

"What do you make him do?"

"Oh, this and that. Put in some paperwork to adapt him and even made up a name for him to cover his tracks. Vinnie Paul used to be Ivan Michalovich or whatever the hell his Russian last name was. I schooled him until he was maybe fifteen, allowed him access to the bar to work and earn a living. He has an ear for music and always picks up the latest and greatest for me. He also has connections down below, ones that I don't know, and has yet to introduce me to."

"Ah, so you tried to be a father?"

"In a way, yes. We have an understanding, me and Vinnie. He works hard, he stays. Only reason why I took him in legally was so that nobody questioned it. At that point, people were searching for him. They suspected him rightfully of doing all those things to his parents and I didn't want to see a kid like him go in the slammer and experimented on like a freak. I would have felt a little guilty if I let him back on the streets. Being where he is right now might save him."

"It's not going to save him from me."

"I understand. It's also not going to save him from the senator, but that's beside the point. Vinnie being with Danielle Mitchell might be a good thing. She'll be learning the hard way."

Logan groaned.

"Anything else you wanted to know?" Teller was sure Logan had more to inquire about.

Logan forgot his animosity towards Vinnie at the moment. "Fiona Mitchell. You told me that she was alive. Prove it."

Teller sighed, raising his eyebrow. He then proceeded to a desk at the far corner of the room, unlocking a drawer with a key from his pocket and pulling out some photos. He turned, walked back over and handed them to Logan. He watched as the older mutant study the pictures. Teller knew that this wasn't exactly hard evidence that the Mitchell wife was alive. However, it was good enough for the time being and that alone was making the other mutant angrier just by seeing Fiona. Besides, Teller had nothing else to show Logan anyway.

"That's it?" Logan put out his cigar in a nearby ashtray on the table. "Just a few pictures of Fiona sitting on a bed, hogtied and panicking?"

"That's all I have," Teller admitted. "Anything else and I would be cornered by Ellis. I took them, Wolverine, about a few months ago. It was a hard way to go, especially the journey she had to travel. Ellis ensured the road that she was on was slippery enough for the car to skid off. Seeing that she was alive and bleeding, he ordered his men, with Chameleon in charge, to take her out and replace the other body in there. The body was some dead female from Tarrytown for all I knew. However, Ellis thought that holding Fiona Mitchell hostage was a better idea. Death was too much of a mercy for her."

"Where is she?" Logan demanded, feeling the rage behind his eyes turn him blinder.

"Moved," Teller confirmed. "I found out about her because I was my turn to babysit. By the time I was finished with my shift, Ellis immediately had her moved to another house with men dragging her, people I don't recognize. He wasn't taking any chances with this one. However, I can say that she was housed for a few hours on the farmland Ellis bought some time ago, where I had to watch her. That was because the good senator had nowhere else to put her."

Logan still had not calmed down. "Find. Her. _Now_."

"I can't." Teller seemed too scared to even make the queries, however much he did not want to cross Logan and his claws. "Old Chameleon would know better than I where she would be. Currently, as it stands, the good veteran and I have parted and on good terms. He will not communicate with me right now though. He sees eye to eye with me, Logan, but he is too much under Ellis' thumb to rebel like I am. However, I can't do it all the time. There has to be a way we can make a compromise here."

There was no room for negotiation in Logan's eyes. "Not for Ellis."

"You promised me many things, Wolverine," Teller reminded Logan. "One of them was handing over Danielle Mitchell when she was older."

"I only agreed that it had to be done. Not now."

"This year, Logan. It needs to be. Ellis is growing impatient."

"And I'm growing tired of his demands."

"We agreed to make slips when we could, Logan. We can't miss this one. Ellis will find a way without us to get Danielle Mitchell. When he does, it might not be pretty and there's no way we could stop him. This way, she'll be under some watchful eyes. You've got me, Vinnie, Jay, yourself, maybe a few others we trust…"

Logan shook his head, reaching for a bottle of alcohol on the table blindly. He did not care it was Chameleon's leftover Wild Turkey, although he never liked the bitter taste to begin with. He unscrewed the cap and drank from it, realizing that Teller was right. That thought alone was disturbing. The worst part about it is that the new Danielle would not care. It was no longer in her nature to give two shits about what was going on in her life. Just as long as she lived it and lived it well, she was glad to die by her own hands.

Teller watched Logan finish the Wild Turkey quickly. "Ask her," he urged Logan. "Just tell her that there's a chance for her to sing or be a waitress. I'm sure that'll get her attention."

"Perhaps," Logan allowed. "I'll work on it with the others and I'll get back to you. Deal?"

"Good enough for now." Teller crossed his arms. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. When you gonna change out the booze in this room? This is pretty stale."

"Not anything soon. Chameleon just forgot this bottle here and wouldn't care if it was gone anyway. Anything else?"

"Yeah. What are we doing about Jay Mitchell?"

"Well, I like him well enough. Don't know how much longer I'll have my bouncer though, especially in light of recent events. He's been doing a damned good job keeping this place clean and that makes me happy."

" _And_?"

"As far as I know, Ellis would make a definite move when he has them both." Teller pursed his lips. "He needs to make sure Danielle is pretty well-established and making a reputation for herself when he comes in."

"Hers is pretty clean as far as I can hear."

"And that's good for the younger Mitchell. However, there's much more going on than just that. There's going to be a phone call soon enough, coming in from the Mitchell home if it gets through. Vinnie can be pretty vicious to callers though. However, I'm also expecting some police officers in here shortly."

Logan stood up, outraged and claws out. "You double-cross me?"

"No," Teller reassured the old mutant, not feeling threatened, although he was shaking. "Not me this time. I just learned this. Between us and the wall, Logan, this was a last minute deal."

"You're not making this any easier," Logan said. "You better explain this to me and do it quickly before your head becomes part of my room's mantle."

"Ellis wants to split the Mitchell family apart," Teller quickly recounted, now feeling that he was cornered. "I just heard this an hour ago, I swear, Logan. He called some police friends of his, most likely the chief, and informed him that Jay Mitchell was a dangerous veteran and that his son is in danger because Shannon was suicidal. They're coming in to arrest him on charges of assault and abuse."

"And Danielle?" Logan demanded, knowing that she too was still a minor and a target in that house. He still kept his claws out. He felt that Teller might need a few scratches and need them soon if his answers weren't to his liking.

"To be taken from Child Protection Services," Teller confirmed. "Ellis is ensuring her confinement at the school instead of being with her mother and brother. He's trying a smear campaign, Logan. Jay would be the veteran who kills and Shannon would be the mother who ignores…and Ellis would be the politician who saves."


	38. Summertime Developments

**June 15, 1993**

It had taken some time for Xavier to handle Child Protection Services for the state of New York. In the end, he managed to get his student back, but not her nephew. Danielle Mitchell had been released into Xavier's care with visitation rights to her brother and mother, first to be supervised by state workers and maybe later without and only if all parties behaved. Jax Mitchell, almost three and only knowing his family at the farmhouse, was taken into the care of a foster family. Jay managed to retain visitation rights without a supervisor with his son after he posted bail and managed to get away with fatherhood classes after court dates. However, his reputation as an abusive veteran soon had him receiving calls from the VA, asking for evaluations.

And that wasn't the end of the troubles for the family, although Xavier was loath to tell Danielle everything. As soon as she was returned to the mansion, she was sent to her room with Jean and Ororo in attendance. The two petted and poked at her, trying to make her talk and go outside with people her age, but the fourteen-year-old wasn't budging. Dressed almost all in black, her lips tightly zipped closed and hugging herself tightly as she sat on the bed, Danielle was as closed as a door. She was unable to open up and would only play music in order to be heard.

Logan hardly had to the time to talk with Xavier about what happened. In the two months since he was with Teller, he had been trying to butt out of the state business. He decided that playing his official school role was the best way to go and would only talk to Teller three times on the phone since that night, not even visiting the bar. He did not even bother Xavier, Alex or Hank with his troubles or remind them of theirs. He thought it best just to do what he was told to do without question, keep the students in line if they crossed his line and keep to himself. Even his trips to the woods were stalled for the time being.

By the time Danielle came back, Logan finally remembered his extra to-do list. In the afternoon, when school was let out and was three days from being released for the summer, he stepped into the doorway of Xavier's office and waited patiently for him to finish his paperwork. Hank had been there, reading in a corner chair about law and politics in New York, something he picked up two months ago. Alex had been correcting papers in another corner, too involved with his work to notice Logan wanting to enter.

Xavier soon perked. "Logan, come in," he invited warmly. "I would excuse Hank and Alex for the moment. Right now, two out of three of us are concerned with getting Matthew out of jail."

"Again?" Logan found a seat before Xavier's desk. "That kid is getting a record longer than my arm."

"I can understand his pain, but Ellis is noticing," Xavier commented. "Can you ask Teller if there's a way to keep Matthew out of Ellis' sights? I am getting nervous for him."

"I'm sure we'll find a way." Logan cleared his throat. "That's not what I'm here for though. It's about Danielle."

Hank heard the name and peered up from his reading. "She's here, Logan, and under Charles' custody now and that's very unstable. Without next of kin alive or around and established as being a student at the school, the state went for the next best thing. We don't know how long it will last, especially since she is graduating in another two years. She'll be needing to prove that she's independent and can live where she pleases."

"It's not that I'm worried about," Logan said. "It's Teller."

Alex groaned from his corner, his red pen suddenly making angry marks on one particular paper. It seemed he was allowing his frustration to get the best of him on a student's paper.

"Two months ago, he again mentioned Ellis wanting to see Danielle," Logan continued. "He believes it best if she's under a watchful eye there than if Ellis stormed in and grabbed her."

"What makes you think the senator would do such a thing?" Hank asked, curious.

Logan had not yet told everyone of Ellis' feelings concerning the younger Mitchell sibling. "According to Teller, Ellis is in love with Danielle and would do anything to get her. The older she gets, the greater his need for her."

Alex snorted, looking up. "That's bullshit," he declared. "Excuse the bluntness and my language, Logan, but I find that hard to believe."

"Why else would Ellis want her though?" Hank asked Alex.

"He wants Jay too," Alex reminded him. "That's something that still baffles me. He wants the dual powers from them. Why though? Why need mutant powers like that?"

"To prove a point about unique mutants," Logan interjected in before the two started an argument. "There's no reason why Teller would be lying to me though."

"Are you sure?" Alex was worried. "What point could Ellis be making other than showing how dangerous the Phantom Spectrum can be?"

Xavier listened to the conversation with interested and faced Logan. "I agree with Teller's assessment," he stated simply. "However, I am not keen on sending Danielle out so soon, especially in light of recent events. I would rather wait until the state paperwork has been completed before seeing her outside the school and in an illegal setting, might I add. However, sending her to Teller's bar might merit some other unwanted attention too, even though he is willing to hide her in plain sight. If Ellis has been behind the fiasco this whole time though, he might put up a screen that would protect her, just as he did to keep her out of foster care."

"I still don't want her out there," Alex added. "She's too young, Charles."

"I would agree," Xavier replied. "However, in this instance, Danielle will be secured by several people looking out for her welfare. She's old enough to realize what is right and wrong, although the latter I am sure she will walk towards automatically. Why? She is young and naïve to this world still. Exposing her to so much at once willed her to be a recluse. With direction, she can be guided the other way."

"You have too much hope," Alex commented pessimistically.

Xavier smiled. "I always do."

"Regardless," Hank butted in, "we still have a few troubles on our hands and it doesn't include Danielle Mitchell. Do you remember Duane Webber, Logan?"

"Duane Webber?" The name struck a chord with Logan and it wasn't good. "Matthew's father?"

"The one and only," Hank replied. "He's been teaming up once again with Ellis. I don't have the specifics yet. However, what we suspect is that he has been trying to use his dead wife as a way to get to the mutant communities and gain information, more so than Ellis has been able to. It involves no money, just trying to be friends. He has been changing his tune, I should say."

"Playing sympathetic, you mean."

"Right, Logan. Find out what he's been up to and report back if you can. There is only so much Teller is able to do and say. I'm sure he's being watched now."

"By possibly none other than his own employees, but that's not the point."

"Either way, Logan," Xavier continued, "Duane Webber might be another key in this mystery concerning Ellis. Find out what he is truly up to and try the best you can to stop it."

The unspoken words remained between all of them. Find Duane Webber and eliminate him in any way possible. Xavier had been saving Magneto and his Brotherhood for assignments like that, although Roger had been loath to use them to assassinate someone. While the more militant group had not made their unsuspecting targets cease breathing and had scared away hundreds of people interested in Ellis, they still brought terror wherever they went to. Logan still was not keen on using Magneto as much as anyone, a survivor in every way like himself, and would avoid him whenever possible. However, he saw that Xavier felt alone in this mission and needed everyone he could, even an old friend who was as swift in escaping and equally cunning to make a kill.

Logan felt the meeting was winding down, especially when Hank went back to his book and Alex to his paper correcting. "Where can I find Danielle?" he asked, feeling that he needed to prepare her for showing up at Teller's.

"Music Room," Xavier answered.

"A favorite perch still, Professor?"

"You can say that. I have seen her use it more than the instructor herself."

Logan chuckled, getting up to leave. As he did, Xavier called him back. He turned around to face the Professor, seeing the seriousness on his equally grave face. Logan knew that it wasn't just the Child Protection Services that worried him. It was sending a student off to danger at such a young age and seeing, as a foster parent should, that it would be her ruin. He saw a quick flicker of fear cross Xavier's face, feeling a heavy weight come upon his shoulders suddenly.

"Be careful, Logan," Xavier warned.

"I will," the older mutant promised. "I will."

Logan finally left the office. He took the odd hallway down to the Music Room and just stood in the doorway, thinking of one of the last times he observed Danielle through the same position. She and Matthew had been singing to the Beatles and playing an innocent song on the piano, just before they all heard the terrible news of death. Logan pushed aside the same feelings he had then, believing that it wasn't the same as it was a few years ago, and watched Danielle instead. She was still at the piano playing a song and humming to herself. He could not discern what song it was she was going along with, believing that it was her own composition since he did not recognize it. Finally, after a few minutes, Danielle stopped, inclining her head towards Logan and staring at him with sad, red eyes.

"Hey," Logan greeted, coming forward and sitting next to Danielle on the piano bench. "I was hoping to catch you."

Danielle said nothing and just raised an eyebrow with little interest. It made the situation a little awkward. However, Logan was not about to give up on her. Not now, not ever, even if she was a little vixen.

"I needed to talk to you," Logan persisted. "It's about time –"

"It's about Teller, isn't it?" Danielle's eyes changed back to hazel, although the gloom remained in them. " _He_ wants me."

Logan did not know who Danielle was referring to when she said that "he" wanted her since it could have meant many men. "Yes," he admitted slowly, thinking she was talking about the bar owner. "Teller wants you."

"Why?"

"I believe you already have an idea why."

Danielle was quiet again. She looked down at herself and then the gaze went back to Logan. "I don't think I can do this," she said in a little voice, almost childlike. "I don't think I'll make it out alive."

"Don't say that," Logan demanded, much harsher than he intended. "There's too many people there who are going to be watching out for you, myself included. Don't allow it to get to you. You're getting out of there alive. You have a choice that many people do not have. Use that."

"And what if it's too much for me? That I would need to die?"

"I doubt that would happen, kid."

"If I was in an impossible situation, I think I would have to."

The words turned Logan's blood cold. "Don't be sayin' things like that. You don't know what is going to happen."

Danielle shook her head, not bothering to reply in words. In her mind though, the thought of death kept swirling, something she hid from Logan before her mind linked with his, although it had been months since she did that. She immediately pictured her mother, the one person she knew that could imagine a person's death and it come true, and how she courted it for years. Jay even, he saw it in the face when he was overseas and had regretted it since. It ran down a long family line, one that was sure to come behind her when it had claimed everyone else in her family. After all, had she not seen death itself, played with the light and felt its presence so nearby? Had she not felt the hand waving at her, urging her to come forward?

"The Professor said it would be some time, maybe a week, before the state paperwork is complete," Logan offered, seeing the conflict in the hazel eyes. "I was thinkin' maybe another week after that and we'll get you over there."

"Would Vinnie be there?" Danielle asked softly.

Logan growled. "I would assume so."

"You don't like him."

"No, I don't. Why do you?"

"He seems nice in his own dark way."

"Nice never got anyone anywhere."

"It seems that he could see through me, Logan, like he can grasp my inner soul, twist it and make it new. It's so strange."

"Could be his powers."

"Logan!" Danielle was not amused, seeing the bias tone to Logan's assessment.

"I'm serious, kid." The older mutant toyed with the lighter in his pocket, wishing for a cigar. "Vinnie Paul has the ability to make your past a reality. To do that, he would need to see your memories. Could be that he's making a false image of himself. Don't you ever sense him, read his mind?"

"I don't have his permission to," Danielle said, sounding like she wished that she could.

"Might as well." Logan shrugged his shoulders and then cracked his neck, his sight noticing the bruise on Danielle's bare arm. His instincts told him to peek closer, although Danielle was quick to hide it with her other arm before he did. "Listen, kid, just think of a way to blend in and you'll be ok. I'm sure Teller has a place for you somewhere."

"I'm sure he does." Danielle echoed before she paused, her forehead wrinkled with a revelation. "Logan, I'm not a kid anymore. You know this, right?"

"Kinda knew. Was wondering when you were going to see that." Logan tried hugging Danielle, but she pushed him away immediately. He settled for smiling at her. "And a belated Happy Birthday to ya too."

"Thank you." Danielle allowed the conversation to end there, shaking inwardly as Logan got up and left the classroom. She sensed that he went outside for his usual cigar, which was made her feel relief and dread at the same time.

Logan had noticed the bruise on her arm. It was small and nothing to worry about and could be explained away easily enough. However, Danielle had been friendly with the older mutant since she was maybe six years old and deciphered what crossed Logan's mind, especially after the words he said about Vinnie. His radar was kicking in and she was hoping that he would not be able to pinpoint the exact problem before she had a chance to resolve it herself. Indeed, she was wishing that _nobody_ would.

After all, it would be for the best that nobody knew her secrets. Danielle was sure of it.


	39. The Return of Senator Leon Ellis

The two weeks passed smoothly and without incident. Xavier managed to gain custody of Danielle with supervised visits to her mother and brother on the weekends if she chose to. However, he was more fearing when she would run off into the unknown, where he knew the lion's den was. He had trust in Logan to do the right thing and for Danielle to steer clear of what was wrong. However, even with her teenaged evasiveness and discreet actions, he had a lot more to worry about. He just could not put a finger on it, even if he wanted to. Danielle had blocked everyone, from him to Jean and even Jay, and would not be persuaded to talk.

Logan had been the only one in over two months to speak to Danielle. That was normal. The two had been on good speaking terms for some years now. However, it was less and less these days and that was worrisome itself. Even Logan commented himself on the night he was supposed to be with Danielle to Teller's bar. The two had been sitting alone in the teacher's lounge towards late evening. While Xavier had been correcting some papers for his class, Logan had come in for a rare cup of coffee. The latter sat on a couch near the former, enjoying his time alone and without school security to think about. Finally, after some minutes and three cups later, Logan spoke.

"Do you think it's her growing up that makes her so scared of me?" Logan spun a spoon in his cup and set it on a napkin on the table, waiting for Xavier to answer.

Xavier looked up from his papers, sighing quietly. "Who are you talking about, Logan?"

"Danielle. Why would she avoid me?"

"Logan, she might realize that it's time to stop playing childish games. Perhaps her crush on you faded and she's readying herself for an actual relationship with someone else."

"That's what I mean. But how did the kid from three years ago get to be so adult?"

"All her life, it's been like this. She's had to boss around others whose roles were reversed."

"It's unusual this time around, Professor. She used to be so bubbly and outgoing. She used to play pranks and get a good kick out of it."

"Have Jean and Storm said anything?"

Logan had to stop himself from spilling out that conversation to Xavier in gushing details. Yes, he had talked to the two, when they weren't in class and sucked into their summer assignments and not taking a break from college. Ororo and Jean had yet to see Danielle on a social level, viewing her as regressing into an earlier age, although they too noticed the bruise on her arm, the way she hid it and the excuses. It was sneakier, her mind full of more lying, and they were had to get to the bottom of it too. They were just as concerned, had they not the books to distract themselves with when they could bother.

"I had to inquire," Logan admitted. "They felt the same way, Jean especially. They don't have the same time I do though."

"I would be wary, nothing more," Xavier cautioned. "It could be that Danielle isn't ready to talk about her problems. I find it unusual as well, but it also could be an innocent adolescent change too. I'd wait and see."

Logan nodded, finishing up his coffee. By then, the sun was going down and it was close to nine in the evening. He waved a farewell to Xavier, walking downstairs and through the doorway to get to the garage. From there, he debated on whether or not he wanted to walk or to borrow Scott's new bike without permission. He chose the latter, using his claws to start it and rolling out into the driveway. He drove on into Salem Center, hiding his presence behind the usual traffic and easing into the parking lot of the bar without further issue. Although putting his back against the wall when he heard some police officers searching for some mutants, he inched closer to the door. Jay, arms crossed and sunglasses hiding his infrequent red eyes tonight, moved aside for him to enter, hardly watching Logan heading to his usual spot and ordering some beer this time around. At the counter, Snake Eyes delivered and served another customer before Roger Mortimer arrived, sitting next to Logan.

"Haven't seen you in a while," Roger commented to Logan, ordering another pitcher for himself and Logan.

"I could say the same about you too." Logan sipped his glass without looking at Roger.

"Did I hear right this time when someone whispered that Danielle Mitchell was here to stay?" Roger smirked, taking his beer and drinking as Logan did.

"You heard some of that correctly," Logan replied. "However, it is unknown whether or not she is staying here permanently."

"I would assume so, all things considering."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, this and that…Ellis, her brother, _Teller_ …"

"Go fuck yourself, Roger. If Danielle was staying here nightly, I'd be in love with Jean Grey."

"Impossible, you say? I doubt it." Roger's eyes seems to glow like his fires, green and blue orbs this time. "It's a magnet here. The girl can hardly stay away from here and especially Vinnie, almost like I can't stay away from the senator's sister."

"You gonna marry Mae or what?" Logan was relieved for the change of topic.

"I'm hoping next year _if_ she says yes." Roger pulled a small box out of his pocket, opening it to show a gold ring with an emerald stone in the top center. "She's a sucker for anything other than diamonds. What do you think?"

"If you didn't get it at some cheap department store, it might last forever," Logan responded sarcastically. "Why the hell do you want to court the Ellis family?"

"Mae isn't part of her brother's schemes." Roger frowned, putting the ring away. "She's been a person of her own for years. She was a party girl, Logan, and a damned good one too. They loved her here, so much that any man could have had her as a wife. Too bad Teller couldn't keep her and I got her over to Charles just in the nick of time. Hopefully, she'll be mine."

"I didn't know. Take it her son changed her plans?"

"Yeah. She grew sober, responsible and even finished her degree in nursing in no time flat. She got a job as a school nurse in many institutions before ours and is a companion to Shannon Mitchell. She also grew to love me…if everything she said and did was in my favor. I'm also hoping to adapt Gil if the two allow me."

"He have an idea who his father is?"

"No. Mae doesn't either. Too many hands in too short of a time. Don't ask her either. She'll get angry and defensive. It's good that Gil looks like her anyway."

"Right." Logan took another sip of his drink, downing it and refiling the glass from the pitcher. "Know when the music is going to start? Seems too quiet here."

"Vinnie is working on it," Roger answered. "It's only ten, Logan. Relax. It's not like anyone is going anywhere."

Logan did not reply. He glanced around the bar, seeing the usual people that he has been avoiding every year since coming. A few extra slumlords of the town showed up, which made Teller a little nervous and giving them special treatment. Logan laughed to himself just seeing the bar owner jump through hoops to make them comfortable, despite how sleazy the place was. However, he was still confused about where they put Danielle. He was sure that she was here. He smelled her scent all over the place, especially near Vinnie. However, Teller did not specify what position he was putting her in. Logan assumed the worst, soon training his eyes towards Vinnie at the DJ station.

Vinnie did not pay attention to Logan this time. He dimmed the lights, aiming the hottest at the stage, and announced the first act. With dismay, Logan heard the name. It was Danielle.

The fourteen-year-old, in every way appearing like a woman in her twenties, came onstage with Teller's band, acoustic guitar slung around her shoulder. She gave a small speech, thanking everyone for coming, especially the slumlords that Teller was trying to impress. Logan did not hear the rest of it, only watching in horror as the young teenager sat on a low stool and started strumming. After a minute or so, without the stage freight that she had the first time she was in the public eye, she started singing into the microphone.

 _As soon as you're born, they make you feel small.  
By giving you no time instead of it all.  
'Til the pain is so big you feel nothing at all.  
A working class hero is something to be.  
A working class hero is something to be._

 _They hurt you at home and they hit you at school.  
They hate if you're clever and despise a fool.  
'Til you're so fuckin' crazy you can't follow their rules.  
A working class hero is something to be.  
A working class hero is something to be…_

By then, the band started playing their parts. Out of the corner of his eye, Logan saw Roger's jaw drop and his beer glass tipping, spilling out the foamy liquid. Logan couldn't blame him though. Danielle sounded pretty amazing.

 _When they've tortured and scared you for twenty odd years,  
Then they expect you to pick a career,  
When you can't really function, you're so full of fear.  
A working class hero is something to be.  
A working class hero is something to be._

 _Keep you doped with religion and sex and TV  
And you think you're so clever and classless and free,  
But you're still fuckin' peasants as far as I can see.  
A working class hero is something to be.  
A working class hero is something to be._

 _There's room at the top, they're telling you still,  
But first you must learn how to smile as you kill.  
If you want to be like all the folks on the hill,  
A working class hero is something to be.  
A working class hero is something to be._

 _A working class hero is something to be.  
A working class hero is something to be…_

The lyrics soon turned into an instrumental solo. After a few minutes, the band quit and Danielle was the lone person playing, the light only on her. Her lips did not form the last of the song. Instead, she allowed Vinnie to play something from the loudspeaker next to him. John Lennon, long dead for almost a decade and a half, sang the last lines from the original song.

 _If you want to be a hero, well, just follow me.  
If you want to be a hero, well, just follow me…_

Danielle finished the song with her guitar. At first, she was greeted with silence. A minute later, the whole bar, including Roger and Logan, were clapping and cheering her. Some called for an encore. Others called for her number or for an address. Either way, the teenager bowed and retreated backstage immediately, hiding from the acclaim, most likely from embarrassment or feeling too humbled. By then, Vinnie had started up some music and urged the patrons to start dancing. When the ruckus had died down, Roger and Logan turned back to their drinks. Snake Eyes had cleaned up Roger's earlier mess and replaced it with another glass. Roger took the cue, filling it from the pitcher and staring into his frosty reflection. Logan could only do the same.

"That kid still has talent," Roger remarked to no one in particular.

Logan nodded. "It was a slap in the face though."

"How do you figure?" Finally, Roger drank.

"Well, what did Lennon intend when he released the song?"

"It was the differences between the social classes and how he felt at the top."

"And who, amongst the finest in Salem Center, has the best seats?"

"True, Logan, _very_ true. However, that isn't going to lose her any points. She's gained some fans. I mean, if you weren't watching, we've had a visitor come in and he seems to be the biggest one of the bunch."

"What?" Logan turned around, eying the bar carefully, and saw who Roger was talking about. Near the hallway, standing with Teller and in every way serious, was Senator Leon Ellis.

Logan released his adamantium claws in a sudden rage. Roger quickly hid the action with his body, urgent in every way to keep Logan calm. "Keep it to yourself for now, Logan," he said quickly. "I wouldn't think Ellis, a combat veteran like you, would want to pick a battle. The war is still on in his mind against us mutants. It's something we will battle and we'll take years in doing it. However, the ending would be in our favor. I just know it. Ellis would be but a footnote in a history book when he goes. The time and place in which he would be vanquished would be ours for the picking though and when that times comes, I'll gladly hand over the reins. He's all yours, Logan. He's all yours when that day arrives and he's nothing more than a defeated man."

Logan sheathed his claws, but the anger remained. He observed Teller talking with Ellis instead. The two seemed to be in an intense conversation. Teller was desperate in every way, his hands waving excuses for things Ellis needed done and weren't. The senator listened patiently enough, mouthing off a few words of threat before allowing Teller to talk again. All and all, it seemed like an exchange Logan would love to listen to had not the senator seen the common sense of taking it to another room. One name seemed to be on their lips though, a name that Logan caught before they moved away and one that he knew would keep Ellis interested in the bar for a while now.

 _Danielle_. Ellis had seen the teenager play. He was now hooked around her little finger.

* * *

 **As said, the lyrics are from John Lennon's "Working Class Hero". However, the way the music was described, the version was sung by Green Day for Amnesty International's campaign for Darfur.**


	40. Initial Warnings

It did not take long for Ellis to make his next move and one that was hardly expected so quickly. Not even five hours after Teller closed his bar that night, he was seen running to the doors of the mansion by Logan from his bedroom window. Normally, at seven-thirty in the morning on a school day and especially on a rainy day like this, breakfast was being served in the cafeteria and the teachers would calm the students down to prepare them for another day. Now, with the strange factor added in, Logan felt tense. He immediately fled his room and ran to greet Teller at the front door. Alex and Lorna had beat him to it though, the two of them quietly begging Teller to leave and trying to push him out the front door. The bar owner insisted on seeing Xavier and would not be denied, yelling as loud as he could to be heard over their din.

"What the hell is going on?" Logan loudly asked, startling all three and quickly stopping them in their fight.

"Logan." Teller appeared relieved, her hair shaking water down his face. "I was just telling these two that I need to see the Professor right now."

"Why?" Logan crossed his arms stubbornly. He agreed with Alex and Lorna's position and would have kicked Teller out himself. However, the bar owner's demeanor said to consider otherwise, seeing a desperate plea to get in and say something.

"It's supposedly about Scott," Alex said lightly. "I know he's safe."

"He's not," Teller contradicted rudely. "I'm telling you, Alex. Your brother is not safe. Ellis is in town and has reviewed information from the past two years from his other spies. He has other reliable agents scout and check things out. When he found out an hour ago that Scott was nothing more than a double agent he picked up, he ordered him dead. He's still in the underground shelter and he's trapped."

"What?" Lorna stopped barring Teller from coming in, her body swaying in fright. Alex copied her, Logan noted. "When? How?"

"Does it matter when?" Logan believed Teller, suddenly remembering Jean's promise from some time ago. "We need to get him out of there. Teller, you got transportation I can use?"

"Motorcycle outside the gates," Teller immediately replied. "Just be careful. It's slick out there."

Logan wasn't going to be wasting anytime bringing anyone with him and wasn't taking any arguments either, even about the road conditions. "Good. Give me your keys. Lorna, you and Alex take Teller to the Professor. Keep him under wraps until I get back."

"Logan –" Alex began, not feeling sound about being ordered around.

"We don't have time," the older mutant interjected, taking Teller's keys and easing one foot out the door. "Your brother could be dead if someone doesn't get there in time."

Without hearing another word, Logan darted outside into the rain. In seconds, he was jumping over the school property line and hopping the tall fence, finding the motorcycle Teller had rode on so haphazardly. Righting it and using his foot to push up the kickstand, he turned the keys in, riding out and ignoring the town speed limits and how many times he hydroplaned. Using the side roads he recalled from two years ago, he drove on, skipping every police lookout he could before reaching his destination. Hiding the bike under some trees, he went to the man cover. He found it harder to move this time and soon understood why as soon as he lifted it. There was rushing water down below and it was rising fast. The pressure was building up and ensuring that nobody would enter the dark underground again.

Without thinking, Logan jumped down, damning the ladder this time. Sputtering out water from his mouth as rain showered down from above, he listened carefully for Scott as he tread water. Hearing him to be in the same room as he had been for the last two years, he started swimming towards the north tunnel. However, he soon felt a shot to the back of his head and stopped as he healed, hitting a wall in brief pain. He turned around when he recovered, feeling the bullet pop out, and cracked his neck. Around him were six men, all armed and nearby the ladder, and all of them seemed to have expected his arrival.

 _Shit._

"Boss said to assume you were coming," the leader declared. "Have any last words before you die this time?"

"Eat shit and die yourself, motherfucker," Logan growled, lunging as hard as he could at the first man, the leader. He soon had his claws out and sliced open the neck, leaving the gun in the dead man's hands and shooting upward freely for a few seconds.

The bullets ricocheted from one wall to the next, almost making the scene move so fast that it was a blur. Logan was hit twice, once in the arm and the other in the chest, and recuperated faster than the remaining five men. Out of them, only three stood ready to strike. Two had been killed, their bloody bodies floating away with the water. The last of them had been anxious to see Logan gone, all of the aiming for his head. Why? What was so special about trying to shot him when all he did was rectify himself and strike again and again?

One shot Logan again, the target this time being his neck as he ducked. Immediately, the bullet pushed itself out, landing in Logan's hands. He quickly studied it, pocketing it without another thought. Rage ruled his mind. The memories went back to that tank again, full of greenish water and people in white lab coats and military uniforms. All of them had been mocking him, pointing at him like he was some caged wild animal. He was used in some government experiment, he recalled, one that was making genetic, physical and mental changes to humans and mutants alike. He was one of a dozen for Stryker and his team. He agreed to the procedure. He just did not happen to allow himself to have a clear slate, one that would have blindly obeyed orders and went on to become a killing machine. He could not have become the person that Stryker wanted him to be. He most certainly wasn't going to tolerate having his memory wiped by adamantium bullets to the head either.

A wall broke to the left and more water gushed through. Logan propelled up in a weak jump and started swimming to the nearest person. He then disappeared underwater as another wall collapsed and missed him, unleashing his claws and stabbing the first person he saw. He then pulled himself up for some air, unwilling to feel himself lose breath again and again, and dunked down when another person started shooting. He tried pulling the next assailant under with him, only succeeding in getting the man stumbling through the rushing waves, although it was the crumbling underground that washed him away before Logan was caught in the chaos. The only man left was suddenly nowhere in sight and Logan could not sense him anywhere. Although that alone worried him, he was more concerned about Scott.

The water was rising faster. Logan ignored that nagging feeling about the last attacker and swam back to the tunnel heading north. Although he knew that he might be washed away, he took the risk anyway and allowed the water to thrust him towards Scott's room. However, it did not take long for the current to push him to the other end. Quickly, Logan had to grab onto the door handle to stay put and to try and stand. He did not succeed in getting his feet to the ground, but he managed to use his claws to slice the lock off of the door. Using every bit of strength he had left, he shoved the door forward against all of the pressure, using his claws to slice off what he could to make it easier. His efforts seconds later paid off. He was soon looking into Scott's ruby-colored glasses and seeing them turn bright red.

"Scott –" Logan began, choking on some water that bubbled up. He ducked when he saw the optic blast shine and pulsate. When he emerged, he turned around and saw the final goon of Ellis', unconscious and now submerged.

By then, Scott had swum forward. "We even now?" he asked Logan, a sneer twitching on his mouth.

"Never," Logan replied mockingly. "Come on."

Against the current and using as many things as they could grab, Scott and Logan slowly made their way back to the main entranceway. By then, the sunlight had shone through the hole above and the clouds had moved on, showing the way out. Although Scott had a hard time keeping his position, Logan pulled him forward before he drowned, getting him on the ladder before him and climbing up before everything fell apart behind them. Above head, the trees kissed them with the last of the rain. Logan kicked the man cover back into its place, glancing up to see another circle of men surrounding them. Guns were drawn, even from the central man that Logan dreaded seeing ever since the previous night.

Scott surveyed their surroundings. "Odds seem against us," he observed, something that annoyed Logan.

"You're telling me," Logan growled back as he released his claws once more, eying Ellis from his position and heeding Scott no more. "Senator, what do we owe this honor?"

"I was about to ask you that question," Ellis said, examining Logan as if he saw him before. "I feel like we've met before."

"Not that I can recall."

"You're a mutant that gained some power, from a rare metal and from a rarer sort of scientist," Ellis stated, licking his dry lips as his gaze went to the adamantium claws. "I wonder where that came from."

"I wonder why a senator would use a kid to do his dirty work," Logan retorted, counting how men he could take out and if they would get Scott. The odds, especially with fifteen men, were indeed against them and his promise to Jean could hardly be kept. "All that hard work and death to show for it."

Ellis shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? I am pretty merciful."

"Not enough to allow it to be a quick death."

"No, I would agree. It also wasn't nice for me to allow the pipes to break and fill up my hideaway from the world. However, it wasn't pleasant for me to see that my men below were unable to take care of you and Scott Summers. It makes me wonder how indestructible you really are, James Howlett."

The name made Logan freeze. "I don't go by that name anymore, bub."

"No? Hmmm…" Ellis put his weapon down, appearing in every way to be thinking. "I am curious as to why."

"Does that matter?" Logan asked, still calculating his next moves in his mind. "The more important thing is why you're doing this to us."

"I don't appreciate liars, cheaters and mutants," Ellis confessed. "Not in that order of course."

"Psst! Why are you stalling?" Scott hissed at Logan.

"Shut up," Logan ordered softly before turning back to the senator. "Well, Senator Ellis, I guess you're going to have to deal with us."

"Oh, but why?" Ellis picked up his gun again and aimed at Scott specifically. "I was having too much fun knocking off you mutants one…by one…"

It was then that Ellis shot. Before Logan did anything, Scott shot his optic beams at the bullet, melting it instantly. In that second though, it had been a signal to the other men to begin their execution. Logan was not sure what they had as ammunition. However, he sure as hell wasn't going to allow anything to come between them and death. Immediately, he ducked as Scott blasted as many men as he could, which was most of them in the time he had to use his powers. From there, Logan hopped between red beams and bullets, cutting down as many of them as he could. Finally, with the men dead or fleeing, Ellis only remained. He still tried shooting, although his efforts had been in vain. He either missed or his bullets had been defected.

Logan had enough. Seeing Scott as safe and one who could defend himself, he went up to Ellis, grabbing him by the neck and holding him aloft. The senator just laughed, dropping his weapon, his breath becoming shorter and shorter as Logan squeezed his throat tighter. Logan had enough of the games. He wanted this done and over with before any more real damage had been completed.

"There…will…be more like…me," Ellis protested.

"And we'll get to them when we can," Logan vowed, trying to break the senator's windpipe when he felt a sting in his back. In real pain, he dropped Ellis as he went to his knees himself, allowing the senator's escape. Scott tried running after him, but Logan put a hand out to stop him.

"He's getting away!" Scott protested vigorously. "You let him get away!"

Logan waited until the pain left him before rising, again pocketing another adamantium bullet from the ground. "Let's consider this a lucky break," he commented seriously, checking the area once more for snipers and sensing none. "We're alive and there's nobody on our tails."

"With a chance of losing our lives again," Scott moaned.

"And?" Logan searched the area one more time. "We won this battle in some ways, as did Ellis. Now, let's get out of here before I regret ever promising Jean to cover your ass."

Scott knew when he had lost. He followed Logan some yards away, where he had hidden Teller's motorcycle. Luckily still having the keys, Logan pulled the bike up and started it. Feeling Scott's weight in the back, he started back for the school. When they got closer though, Logan smelled that something was off. In the distance from their position on the wooded roads, he saw smoke rising. It was some ways from the school, although it had been close to the building. Determined to get there to see the trouble, Logan increased the speed, not stopping until they reached the outer locked gates. From there, he unlocked it with his claws, getting back on the bike and riding towards the black fumes. Scott eyed the scene too, although Logan could not tell with his quick glances back to the young adult how Scott felt and what he was thinking.

Finally reaching the grass, Logan parked the vehicle as is and killed the engine, running towards the small group that had gathered. He saw Jean, Hank, Ororo and Xavier there. Jean saw Scott and immediately embraced him, her grateful eyes raking Logan before they went back to Scott. Hank and Xavier nodded thanks to Logan, although the latter seemed to want to talk to Logan later about his disappearance. On the other hand, Ororo had examined the black area and did not speak. Her light brown lips pursed together, her eyebrow knitted in discontentment.

"What do you think, Storm?" Hank finally asked her.

"I don't know," Ororo admitted finally after some seconds of silence. "It's a bomb, no doubt about it."

The verdict even made Xavier stiffen. "A bomb, Storm?"

"Yes, Professor," Ororo said. "I believe it's a bomb. It's no ordinary one either. This one was small, quick to explode and did not damage much. However, it might have been for someone nearby."

"What kind of bomb could do so little?" Hank twisted the collar of his shirt, nervous enough.

"Something that was used overseas," Logan volunteered. All of the heads turned to him. "It was normally put into suspected enemy territory, to tell them that someone was around the corner. It was used for other purposes too. When exploded and a crowd came through, recon would be able to see more, like what people were involved and if they're able to get a shot in."

Jean shivered visibly, still in Scott's wet arms. "And what would make us? An enemy?"

"As I am seeing it, yes," Xavier said slowly, unbelieving it himself. "Senator Ellis has made his first definite move. He knows that we are here…and that we are here to stop him. It's possible that he is using this to warn us, but I doubt that."

"What else do you think he's doing, Professor?" Ororo asked, afraid of the answer.

"Oh, there's nothing more than the senator can do to frighten us," Xavier declared. "Indeed, I would believe that his intentions seemed to be more insidious than we thought and something we can hope to counter along the way. He's doing more than telling us that he's here and attempting to see around corners. I believe Senator Ellis intended to step his feet over the line and see where we stood and already has seen a weakness in the defenses we have."

* * *

 **I wanted to apologize for the belated update. I started a new job and it's been difficult, with school and family, to post as often as I would like. I will try my best to make this story complete and as soon as I can. Also, there is another announcement I would like to make. I have already planned out the rest of the story. It will be as long as the last few. However, I have decided that I will split the post _Days of Future Past_ story into a fifth. There will be another story after this, a direct sequel, and it will continue the history up until 2023.**

 **In addition, I would like to thank someone very special who has been trying to help me through a lot. I would like to dedicate this chapter to okeydokeyworld. She has been a great support to me this past week in particular and very understanding. I would like to ask everyone as well to check out her stories and to please review as well. :D**


	41. Turn Off the Lights

It had not taken long for Logan to figure out who planted the mini bomb on the school grounds. Checking into the security footage he had installed some years before, he had Hank help him navigate through the complicated web and watch the video from the time Teller came until there was a cloud of smoke and a gathered group. From the woods, he and Hank noticed a small figure running to the scene, leaving behind a box in the middle of the lawn, and heading back to the wooded spot he came from. There was a quick shot of the predator's face and one that Logan was unlikely to forget. He tried getting Hank's attention by then and only succeed to getting the blue mutant annoyed from the short break he was having. Apparently, Hank had gone back to his book on New York laws and showed his boredom with helping Logan out.

"In all the years I've been in this town, he's the one I hate almost as badly as Ellis," Logan complained loudly as he managed to stop the frame and show Hank their perpetrator as he read his book. "Why do we have to deal with him again?"

Hank adjusted his glasses, yawning as he looked up. "Who are you talking about _now_ , Logan?"

"This guy." Logan pointed to the screen. "Look familiar?"

"He does actually. Have we seen him before?"

"Yeah. He's an older version of the kid we always have to bust out of prison."

"No…it can't be…"

"Yes, it is." Logan grinned. "It's Duane Webber."

Hank squinted. "You're right. It's Matthew's father. Why now, especially when courting mutants?"

"I don't know, but I sure as hell would like to find out." Logan paused. "If he's in town and so is Ellis, you think they'd be at the bar this week?"

"Most likely." Hank had to think about that. "Before her death some years ago, Matthew's mother used to complain about how… _unfaithful_ …Duane was. He was always attracted to women younger than his wife, and would flaunt it. Matthew said once that he recalled his mother finding a woman in her bed with Duane after she picked him and his sisters up from school. That was the beginning of the end, I should believe."

The image alone made Logan's blood boil. "Ok, so this might be a possibility. What can we bait him with so we can wring his neck?"

An idea abruptly came through Hank's mind and one that made him put his book aside, folding his furred fingers into each other. The glance he passed at Logan was also once that did not help the older mutant's inner rage. The same idea went through Logan too and it was one that he didn't like. It was enough that he was compliant in a minor's introduction to a more adult world. He would now be using the same person for a man's unsated hunger.

"No," Logan said flatly, much louder than he expected.

"What choice do we have, Logan?" Hank stood up. "I'm sure Charles and Alex would say the same. However, if we are to get Duane Webber, what better way to send a beautiful woman in?"

"Danielle is no woman," Logan lamented.

Hank raised his eyebrows. "If you say so, Logan. If you say so."

~00~

 _Everywhere I go,  
Bitches always know.  
That Charlie Scene got a weenie  
That he loves to show. (Bitch!)  
Everywhere I go,  
Bitches always know.  
That Charlie Scene has got  
A weenie that he loves to show._

 _Wake up, grab beer,  
Grab rear, shave beard,  
Put on some scene gear.  
Gotta get drunk before  
My mom wakes up.  
Break up with my girlfriend  
So I can bang sluts._

 _I'm undead, unfed, been sleeping  
On bunk beds since ten.  
So if I don't booze it,  
I'm gonna lose it.  
Everybody get to it  
Do it, get ruined…_

The music was obnoxious. That much Logan was aware of. However, it was music that always attracted the worst in Teller's bar. Tonight was especially true. All around him, the prostitutes (most of them mutants) and married men gathered around the tables and some back rooms in order to become acquainted with each other. He and Roger had been bombarded with requests all night so far. While the two at the counter refused time and again, it was still annoying to have some woman rub up against you for no reason. Logan welcomed the attention when he was into the other person. Tonight was not one of those times though and he pushed away each woman. Roger was trying his best to appear committed to Mae as she sat at another table, engrossed in conversation with a woman Mystique disguised herself as. Now and then, Mae would shoot Roger an evil eye when she saw another woman approach him.

Then again, this night was pretty unusual, Logan thought. Other than the four of them hiding out in plain sight, Xavier and Magneto had joined the party for the night. Although the two had been sharing a bottle (or three) of wine all night, Magneto had been trying to charm the most cladded woman and Xavier had been talking amicably with another, a young teenager with obvious physical mutations. All part of the plan, Logan supposed, and one that Hank had to try so many times to persuade everyone of except for Teller. And that alone had taken too much time and lost them more besides.

Xavier and Alex had been against Hank's plan from the first moment he proposed it. Logan stood next to him the whole time, unsure of where to chime in between the arguing. Granted, he was against it too. Hank wanted Danielle to dress as one of Teller's little waitresses (more accurately, a whore) and rub herself against Duane Webber, receiving as much information as she could as the Brotherhood surrounded the building and captured him on the way out. Ellis has installed his own people outside of the bar because he was planning on a meeting with Teller and perhaps Chameleon, which explained why the bar owner was nowhere to be seen and Snake Eyes had been quietly observant. However, Logan was sure that the senator knew that they had forces too and were willing to use them as well against his own.

Luckily, the music stopped and the first act was up. Vinnie had managed to have Danielle's disguise for Duane Webber on the side (wig and pins, different clothes and even makeup) and dolled her up for the stage for the time being. Roger and Logan drank silently, watching as the teenager walked into the hot spotlight, her heels loudly clicking on the cold floor to announce her arrival, and call out her first song. She did not have the band with her this time, choosing her guitar and some foot tapping instead.

The words had a chilling effect on Logan, the cold tap running down his back. Although it was just a song, it seemed to come from the heart, almost like a call for help. Remembering the day he saw that bruise on Danielle's arm, his eyes immediately went to Vinnie by the DJ station. While his caged inner rage banged on the bars of the mental jail, begging to be released, Logan managed to keep his cool. It would not do to lose his temper in front of everyone, especially with Ellis so nearby, Snake Eyes so cautious and Teller relying on him to be professional. No, it was best to listen to the song.

 _I'll give you one last chance to hold me,  
If you give me one last cigarette.  
By now it's only in the morning.  
Now that I gave you what you want,  
All I want is to forget…_

 _When you turn off the lights,  
I get stars in my eyes.  
Is this love, maybe someday?  
I've got this scene in my head.  
I'm not sure how it ends.  
Is it love, maybe one day?  
So, don't turn on the lights.  
I'll give you what you like…_

Applause broke out at the conclusion. Danielle smiled, bowing and exiting the stage. Under the cover of the darkened corners of the bar, Logan noted that she met up with Vinnie. Soon, Xavier was with the couple, Magneto right behind him, navigating the wheelchair. Although the two women they had been talking to at their table had been abandoned, they were now down to business. The urgency on their faces told Danielle that this was very important and that she had better be careful. Then, with a glance on all sides, Xavier leaned forward and patted Danielle's arm in a paternal manner, perhaps reminding her that she was important and to be wary of her surroundings. Logan saw the chagrin on Vinnie's face as the Professor spoke to Danielle. It made him feel good inside, if he had to be honest with himself, knowing that the young adult wasn't with Danielle.

Roger nudged Logan with his elbow, chuckling as Xavier and Magneto went back to their table to drink more wine and talk with the women. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Huh?" Logan turned to Roger on his right. "What?"

"That Vinnie is squirming in his spot. Seems like Charles is giving him all that he's got to push him away from his students."

"Yeah, well, I wish the Professor had a handle on Vinnie and not Teller."

Roger snorted. "That's not happening anytime soon."

Soon, the music started up on the loudspeakers again and it was the same song that annoyed Logan. Both he and Roger groaned, gazing over to Vinnie at his corner. The young adult grinned evilly, thumbs up at them especially. Behind him and under a table against the wall, Danielle was putting her new clothes and makeup on, her red head the only thing revealing to the pair that she still was there. Soon though, Vinnie crouched down, taking out a wig and adjusting it on Danielle's head with the pins, tucking each in with gentleness. He did such a good job that even Logan could not tell that Danielle was a redhead with a temper. She soon came out of the station with thick blonde tresses, something that made her hazel eyes blue and a strut on a new pair of heels. Her clothes matched the other women's and her confidence seemed to be perfect.

 _God, she's even getting too old for this._ The words came unbidden to Logan's mind and ones he did not intend to think of. Ashamed of his amenability of making a minor an adult, he turned around for more beer.

 _Let's get this party started!  
Let's keep them forties poppin'! (What?)  
So, just get buzzed and stay fucked up.  
We'll keep them panties droppin'._

 _When I start drinking,  
My dick does all my thinking.  
Hoes want to be seen with me  
And I like their big thick titties._

 _D-Cups with extra filling,  
Take it out let me lick it quickly.  
Calm down, it's just a hickie!  
I'll blame it on this whiskey  
Sipping, gets me tipsy!_

Danielle soon disappeared. All of the extra eyes watched her leave the main room, exiting down a hallway where the other women were, all in booths to give pleasure and excitement where they could. Vinnie did not seemed so concerned though, playing his part alone and pretending that he was still just part of an act. He did not pay any more attention to Logan and Roger, choosing to play the music and taking requests. Roger soon grew bored and motioned to Logan, pointing to the hallway that Teller went down. Smoke-filled and mysterious, it beckoned to them.

"We have a choice?" Logan asked, downing the last of his drink.

"Nope," Roger replied, pulling Logan by his leather jacket. "Let's go."

The duo crept down the passageway they recalled Teller had walked down, throwing a girl this way and that way, ignoring their new advances. They stopped before an ajar door (perhaps left open by the many employees that come in and out) and peeked into it, breathing in the tobacco and pot that emitted from it. Roger moved aside, allowing Logan more room, and waved his hand in dismissal. Logan was alone in this spying. He had the better hearing and sight. Roger would be spotted easier than Logan himself would.

Nodding in agreement, Logan leaned towards a shadowy shiver of shade. As the smoke cleared, he saw three men in there. The head of the table, in which he or Teller had sat in so many times before, was occupied by none other than Ellis. To his left was Chameleon, drinking his Wild Turkey and smoking a Marlboro 100 cigarette. On Ellis' other side was Teller, also smoking a cigarette and drinking some beer. Teller appeared in every way nervous, cornered by the other two by the deeds he had done in the last few years.

"So, you told me that this… _Wolverine_ …mutant has come in here often," Ellis said, continuing a conversation that Logan had missed most of.

"Yes," Teller answered assertively. "Yes, he has, Leon. It's been a friendship I am using to my advantage, Leon. I promise you, he's easy to get information from."

 _Liar._ Logan pressed his lips together tightly.

"I am… _relieved_ …to hear this, Phineas." Ellis waved the vile scent of cigarettes from his face, a scowl etched upon it when he noticed that Chameleon and Teller would not be quitting their so-called vile habits. "But tell me something else, my dear little rebellious friend. Is the little girl interested in our friend there, Duane Webber? I hear that he has been like many others. He's…practically in love with the girl."

Chameleon snorted, red eyes shining with sadness. "I doubt it, Leon. Duane just likes anything of the opposite sex with legs."

"Oh?" Ellis turned to Chameleon, not being cowed by the doubt. "So, Mitchell, how _old_ is your daughter anyway? I hear she's younger than what she looks."

"Fourteen," Chameleon answered, but the tone seemed hollow and unforgiving. His red eyes soon turned into a blackness that Logan could not determine, almost like his characteristic red eyes were not sufficient enough to display his inner turmoil and the onyx of his children was enough to convey it. In those eyes, Logan saw some regret, although there was no turning back for Chameleon and there might never be.

" _Fourteen_ …now _that's_ a magical age," Ellis continued, licking his dry lips heavily. "She looks more like she's older than twenty-one and legal to be here, at that. Phineas, when you do think the show will be over?"

"Soon," Teller replied slowly, looking at a watch on his left wrist. "I've got Vinnie out there managing the music for the acts. I'm sure the girls are busy dancing for the customers in the booths though."

"Our Duane is _most_ anxious to see Danielle dancing with the rest of them," Ellis stated plainly, glancing to the slightly opened door. Logan jerked back a little, ensuring his position, and was relieved when Ellis paid no more attention to who was nearby, hearing the senator continue. "A knife seems to be in her future."

 _Drink fast and enjoy your buzz._ _  
_ _Take back streets to avoid the fuzz._ _  
_ _I wanna take you home,  
But your friends won't let ya._ _  
_ _I gotta forty in my Ford Fiesta._

 _Buy beer or pay the rent,_ _  
_ _My signing bonus was quickly spent._ _  
_ _So I beat my meat  
Like I'm a fuckin' butcher._ _  
_ _And I punk the pussy  
Like I'm Ashton Kutcher!_

 _Let's get this party started!_ _  
_ _Let's keep them forties poppin'!_ _  
_ _So just get buzzed and stay fucked up._ _  
_ _We'll keep them panties droppin'._

With realization of the situation, Logan's stomach dropped and then lurched. Ellis had known what was going on and why. Thinking that perhaps Teller had been cornered to give him the information (and more than Xavier had told him to say), Logan pushed away thoughts of how and what. Danielle was in danger and they had to do something quickly. He motioned for Roger to come closer, pointing to the hallway. He did not need to tell the master spy twice to check on things. Roger was gone in a heartbeat.

Logan then turned back to the room, seeing that Chameleon was outraged by what Ellis announced and had stood up, heated and almost pushing the table over. "Leon, I promised to work with you and do your work," Chameleon yelled. "I did not agree with this to see you kill my children! You said you loved Danielle. Why do you want to see her dead and with a smile painted on her throat?"

Ellis stood up too, reacting in an enraged manner as he continued to wave the cigarette smoke away from his face. "Let me remind who the master here is, Mitchell. Your son and daughter are working with Xavier and Roger Mortimer, associated to a mutant school, and are against _us_ and _our_ cause. There are ways to remind them of the same. _We_ have the upper hand. _We_ need to show that we are succeeding and that their cause is a lost one. Your children can live and die as they please. She'll live."

Chameleon sat down, defeated and facing the truth ashamedly. "I know. I promised to assist you and Phineas in every possible way. You _are_ the master. We are supposed to be assisting in getting you the top seat."

Ellis soon sat down as well, smiling as the other two finished their cigarettes and the ashtray was full of new butts. "Good. Now, let's wait and see what would happen. I'm sure mutant powers would kick in soon enough."

Logan had enough, feeling that he would actually be sick. He moved back slowly and started down the hallway, bumping right into Roger. The master spy's face had been stoic, although there was something about his demeanor that told Logan that something was wrong. He even hid his hand from Logan, although the older mutant had been able to smell the blood dripping from it. Something was happening out there and Logan wasn't going to be laying low and allowing people to die.

"The Brotherhood and Ellis' people are duking it out in the alleyway," Roger whispered frantically. "Someone tipped them, not Teller or Chameleon, and another picked a fight with Mystique. Mae got out with Magneto and Charles just in time. Mystique signaled to stop them and the fight engulfed the whole bar. Police are on their way if we don't get out of here soon."

Logan nodded. "Did you find Danielle?"

That was when Roger's face fell. "No," he confirmed. "The other hallway is locked. Snake Eyes has been ordered to allow no one else to enter…and that even means Teller."

* * *

 **The following lyrics are from (in order) the Hollywood Dead's "Everywhere I Go" and Avril Lavigne's "Give You What You Want". The scene between Chameleon, Ellis and Teller is also a twist from the similar scene in my 2nd story "This Abyss". Again, just another play on the new timeline. :)**


	42. Convincing Smiles

_Let's get this party started!_ _  
_ _Let's keep them forties poppin'! (What?)_ _  
_ _So just get buzzed and stay fucked up._ _  
_ _We'll keep them panties droppin'._

It had been frightening enough to be under the hot lights and sing a song from the heart, even though there had been a legion of fans who adored her and would done anything for her. It was worse to be changing into different clothes and being someone entirely different. Danielle had been shaking, from the time she changed under Vinnie's DJ station table and Xavier talked with her gently about courage to the time she joined the other women and went down the forbidden hallway. Snake Eyes closed the entranceway to the rest of the people and only allowed the men in that had a paid ticket to go to a booth.

Teller had ensured Danielle that she alone would have Duane Webber, Matthew's father, and that he would tell his whores just about anything and that something she would have to repeat back to them. And while his son rotted in jail for protesting the government that didn't care about mutant rights, the father was coming in to rub up against his niece by marriage and tell her secrets and try to gain some more. It was enough to make her want to crawl inside of her mind and die. It was enough to want to make her not want to run alongside this type of lifestyle anymore. Most certainly, it was enough to make her want to run back to Vinnie and be held by him, trying to be reassured that it was all a dream and that she could go home to bed.

Danielle smiled, sitting on the soft chair in the dimmed booth assigned to her and waiting for her turn. Yes, it was a very comforting thought that Vinnie was at the end of this dark pathway. He would be there to soothe her fears, tell her that she was ok and sweep her off of her feet, cuddling with her on his bed on the upstairs apartment he shared with Teller. He would reassure her that she was an adult now, had been her whole life, and that he would be there to fix things for her when it went wrong. He almost seemed to be like a knight coming to her aide when she was at her lowest point and ensuring that she was still treated as the princess she used to be before her father left.

Frowning, Danielle rubbed her forehead, trying to free the upcoming headache. Something in the back of her mind was telling her something was wrong and even Jay, on the other end of her mind and some yards away, reminded her that things were off. It wasn't just this situation that was making her jumpy. It was also Vinnie. Sure, he was a great guy and they would play with each other's powers and laugh and feel almost like kindred spirits. She had been freer with him and almost feeling like a human without the emotional baggage. However, town reputation and nights together tested this relationship. Her newfound skills sometimes triggered something in Vinnie, something dark that even Danielle could not help but fall into.

And it all began one night, some weeks before. The two had been fooling around in his bedroom, jumping up and down on the bed, throwing pillows and in general being silly. Vinnie made a sudden movement in their fun, something that trigger a fear inside of Danielle's mind, and she flinched, closing her eyes as she took a random swing at his face. Vinnie somehow took this as a threat, taking Danielle's fist and twisting her arm as he pulled her in front of him in a headlock. The grab had been hard and the two had fought, resulting in bruises and bloody lips. They both had not realized that their childhood terrors, as well as their training, had kicked in until Vinnie was about to throw Danielle out of his bedroom window, dangling her by the leg outside. By then, she snapped and was screaming for mercy.

Vinnie pulled Danielle back inside, dropping her to the floor. She scrambled up, trembling as she reached for him. The two then held into each other's arms for a few moments, realizing how close they were to trouble, before Vinnie pushed Danielle back onto his bed and slapped her across the face. On top of blood running down her lips, she now had some coming down her nose. Enraged, she jumped up and tried attacking once more, but he pushed her back and held her tightly by the wrists.

" _Never_ …do that…again," Vinnie hissed in Danielle's face, his eyes dark, round and threatening.

"What?" Danielle was outraged, protesting as she released herself from Vinnie's grip. "I didn't mean to, Vinnie. You know I wouldn't –"

Vinnie struck her again. "Silence!"

"Vinnie –"

" _What_ did I tell you? Bitch, you will listen. This is _your_ fault!"

The face Danielle saw was not the same person she knew. Cowed, she backed away on the bed and laid with her back to Vinnie. Using his sheets to staunch the blood, she fought the urge to cry. That emotional energy alone would alert Jay and he would be able to see through everything. Instead, as she listened to Vinnie rant and rave, she bit down on her sore lip. She chased her feelings inside, refusing to allow it to get to her. Perhaps Vinnie was right. Danielle was too defensive and had used everything against him. It _was_ her fault.

Sitting in that booth waiting for Duane, Danielle recalled the frantic way she had to ensure nobody knew that she had been hurt. In Vinnie's small bathroom, she stood in front of the mirror, washing away the quivering and scared child and revealing the confident and calm adult underneath. Although colored spots remained everything, most notably on her arm, she covered everything else in sleeves and makeup. None would be the smarter for it, she thought, and even was satisfied with herself when she practiced her convincing smile in the mirror. It made her feel like a clown, but it was to be her shield, the safety she sought and never found.

She believed that Logan was the only one who noticed. It was good in a way, but also bad for her and Vinnie. Logan had a radar for trouble that was unparalleled. He could pick up on almost anything. And for once, Danielle did not want him in that part of her life. Indeed, she wanted to walk alone on this one, explore her newfound feelings and realize her worth. Besides, she could not be relying on Logan much anymore, despite everything. He must have been tired of her trailing behind him since she was a child anyway.

Suddenly, a click of a door prompted Danielle to lift her head up. Before her, same as the day she last saw him, was Diane Webber. He closed the door behind him, shutting off all of the lights with the flick of a switch. He said nothing, rushing forward only and picking Danielle up as if she was a doll. He swung her around a few times, allowing her to burst into a few puerile giggles and feel almost intoxicated with glee, and soon laid her on the floor. Her clothes were easily ripped off. Danielle just did not realize that Duane had his off too.

 _It must have been before he came to me_. It was reasonable, Danielle figured, as he fondled her and kissed her, his tongue forcing his way into her mouth. It also was very, very real…

 _Let's get this party jumpin'.  
Let's see some forty chuggin'.  
I wanna see your booty rubbing  
Against my dick when I start buzzin'._

 _Come on, girls, I wanna see you drinkin'.  
I wanna see your brain start shrinkin'.  
Make a move, I saw you winkin',  
Drunken pussies what I'm thinkin'…_

Duane soon had Danielle up on her feet and was behind her, rubbing himself against her bare ass. She tolerated it, even going as far as moving with him as his hands moved to her breasts and downward. Hell, she was no virgin, not for some months now. Vinnie ensured her of that (and made a bloody mess, as far as she was concerned). However, this seemed nothing compared to the fumbling genius that Vinnie was. Duane was swift and experienced, soon having her shaking at the knees. Even as she was enjoying herself, Danielle remembered why she was there and waited patiently for Duane to say something.

"Teller say anything, sweetie?" Duane soon said, panting as his words turned into whispers.

"Huh?" Danielle was hardly paying attention.

"He say anything to you about…you know, staying here, being my steady…?"

"No."

"No?" Duane laughed, pushing Danielle to what felt like a love seat, seating her and pulling her legs apart. "What a surprise. I have a blonde bimbo!"

Danielle resented that (she was disguised blonde after all), even fighting to keep her legs closed. Duane thought it amusing though. He tried to have his way again and soon was tiring of Danielle trying to play coy. Then, he pulled her up once more and shoved her against a wall, foreplay still on his mind. She endured this too, even going as far as not being compliant and exchanging places with Duane. He enjoyed this too, putting her back in their initial position when it all started. This set off some warning bells in Danielle's mind, especially when Duane held her so tightly from behind. She tried pulling away this time and could not be released. She was trapped.

 _I don't give a fuck if you're drunk or not.  
Turn it up loud, feel the ambiance.  
Grab two hoes and do some body shots.  
I wanna party all night until they call the cops._

 _Fuck a wristband, let's all do a keg stand.  
I'm like Cheech without the Chong  
Hittin' up the beer bong  
When the cops show up,  
They're gonna get the finger.  
And I don't give a fuck cause  
I'm the designated drinker!_

Duane soon grabbed Danielle by the blonde wig, yanking back her neck and leaving it exposed. "You know, I don't like spies," he whispered softly in her ear. "I also hate nieces who think they can get away with everything too."

It was over before Danielle knew anything happened. A cold knife slid quietly through her throat, leaving her choking for air and screaming a wordless garble for help as blood splattered everywhere. Duane then dropped her to the floor without care, wiping his knife on her prone body and turning on the lights. He then put his clothes on in front of her, eying her with disgusted mingled with appeasement. He was hardly exhausted from his excursion, Danielle noticed, and was grateful that the deed was gone. He was thriving in his victory, his prey dying naked on the floor before him.

"Death to all mutants," Duane only said as he spat before his feet, leaving the booth…and Danielle bleeding to death.

 _Let's get this party started!  
Let's keep them forties poppin'! (What?)  
So, just get buzzed and stay fucked up.  
We'll keep them panties droppin'._

 _Everywhere I go, bitches always know,  
That Charlie Scene has got a weenie  
That he loves to show. (Bitch!)  
Everywhere I go, bitches always know,  
That Charlie Scene has got a weenie  
That he loves to show!_

In her mind, Danielle continued to screech, her mouth unable to work and feeling like it was pulling apart at the seams. Her eyes flickered, opening and closing, and a different kind of light continuously shone in her eyes from beyond, beckoning to her and showing her what was in the distance, although it was remote and blurry. Shadows soon appeared and shifted left and right slowly, their voices feeling closer and clearer. Childhood memories flashed through, most of them carefree and happy. And yet… _yet_ …

With her remaining strength, Danielle struggled to live. She did not want to die now, especially at fourteen years old and with too many cares. She was closer to death, oh so near to that peaceful oblivion, and she had to ward it off and not give in to it. She tried to open her eyes to the physical world, to use her voice and call out for maybe Jay, and still could not. She then attempted to connect with her brother with her mind, failing that too. It seemed as if Jay had been blocked or was fighting his own battles somewhere and was distracted. Whether it was on purpose or accident was another story. However, there was one more person she was connected to and he might be nearby.

 _Logan…Logan, help…please help…help me…_

It was all Danielle could do before she slipped into the sweet blackness she craved her mind still ringing with the protest. Although death still lingered as she bled a pool around her, she at least knew that perhaps the older mutant had heard her cries and was perhaps on his way with Jay.

* * *

 **Lyrics are (again) from the Hollywood Dead's "Everywhere I Go".**


	43. Death in the Soul

_Logan…help me…_

A voice rattled in Logan's head, allowing an ache to creep up and nag, echoing around his brain until he shook it loose. By then, when Roger's words registered with the shocking revelation, he did not care anymore either. He turned to run, pushing away anybody who was in his way. It didn't take long for him to reach Snake Eyes though, his rage blinding him to everything else, police and rioting around the bar included. Roger managed to keep up with Logan, cursing all the way about how ridiculous this was becoming, and soon halted behind the older mutant before the bartender. Logan clenched his teeth, seeing that Snake Eyes was not budging. His arms crossed and his thin tongue smelling the air, he blinked his eyes a few times at the pair. It seemed like disbelief, seeing the two before him.

"Let…me…through," Logan ordered, trying to be nice the first time around.

Roger ducked as a chair was tossed in his direction. "Logan, we don't have time –"

"Orders from the Boss," Snake Eyes claimed, interrupting Roger. "Nobody comes through."

 _Logan…_

The voice was unmistakable this time and it seemed to be fading fast. Logan wasn't taking no for an answer though, not when his stomach clenched each time he thought of that kid alone and perhaps dying. For this, there were going to be results and ones that he might not like. He may ruin whatever relationship he had with Teller or be thrown out of the bar permanently this time for all he cared. He may even kill a few people on the way, his own benefactors too, and that did not seem to bother him for some reason. He wasn't going to allow a few mutants and a senator to get between him and Danielle.

"I'm not going to be nice about it this time, Snake Eyes," Logan started again, taking out a cigar and putting it to his mouth unlit, chewing lightly on the end. "Move or you won't have to deal with the consequences."

Snake Eyes shook his head. "Not this time, Logan. Not even for you."

Logan turned around and looked at Roger, pocketing the cigar in annoyance. "Ready?"

Roger only had to roll up his shirt sleeves, ignoring his injuries. "Ready."

Simultaneously, the two immediately went up to Snake Eyes and punched him, rendering the mutant unconscious. Freed from their guard, the two went forward down the long hallway, soon joined by Jay. The bouncer was worried, sporting a few bruises from the fights he had to stop, but was not above opening doors and calling out for his sister. Roger and Logan stopped him, walking him into a corner so nobody could hear them. Frantic as they were, they needed to know, before more relationships were discovered by accident, if Jay knew about his sister.

"What the hell?" Jay yelled, feeling like his efforts were being stopped for no reason. "We need to find Danielle!"

"I know," Roger countered, keeping the hotheaded mutant still. "See where she went before she disappeared?"

"I thought you two had an idea," Jay admitted in a panic. "All I know is that Teller assigned Danielle a booth, assured us that Duane would be there, and we would get what we want. Magneto would have his way with Ellis' men and the Professor would tame him. Apparently, this time, Ellis had the upper hand. Police are arresting people left and right. I don't want my kid sister to be taken down to the station and fingerprinted and left in a cell like a common criminal. She needs to go home."

"There might be more than that going on," Logan let out, unwilling to let anyone know his suspicions.

"I can't tell," Jay replied, staring at Logan in a face that brokered no arguments or instigation. "I had to block her from me and concentrate on my job, which, by the way things are going, might be in hell by the night's end."

"We'll see," Roger said, kicking open the door next to him and disturbing an amorous couple without a thought. "Find your sister and let's figure everything else out later."

Logan agreed, continuing his search with Jay and Roger and still finding nothing except hearing the police coming closer and closer to them. However, what made him more worried as they moved more towards the back was the smell of blood. It was practically everywhere, premating through the walls and vents. His nose led him further down the dark hallway though, Jay and Roger behind him closely and opening the other rooms up, and he inched towards a door left slightly ajar. He opened it, finding it oddly without light, and flipped on the switch. What he saw stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Danielle?" The voice behind Logan was not human, almost like an animalistic wording of the name. " _Danielle_?!"

The name kept getting repeated over and over again, all in the same tone and each incantation more hysterical than the last. Logan did not need to know how and why. He just relied on Roger to keep Jay from frantically running to his sister in a rage and screaming his heart out. He could not believe the scene either, walking forward towards the body as if almost in a dream. The blue walls painted red and puddles that flooded the floors…that had been nothing compared to the young girl, naked on the floor and practically bled to death.

Logan kneeled before Danielle, feeling guilt when he realized that he was too late. He put a finger to her wet wrist, not feeling anything, and felt the familiar prickling of tears he always felt behind, ever since he was ten and running away from home. Breathing heavily, he turned around, eying Roger restrain Jay, a hand over his mouth. The older Mitchell sibling was trying to yell something out to Logan as he tried biting through Roger's hand, before the rioting got to their end of the hallway, and struggled against being held back. It was then that Logan recalled that the two had similar powers, could live and die at will and even combined powers too…

Finally, Jay managed to get past Roger's first line of defense, his words free to speak. "Logan!" he yelled, watching outside of the room too, a glance going back and forth. "Logan, take her hand. Take her and go!"

Before Logan could reply, Roger and Jay made a way to the back exit together, hearing the disaster coming closer. Soon, the rumbling and protests of those left behind were approaching, all in Logan's direction. He looked to the empty doorway and back to Danielle, trying to figure out what Jay was talking about. He took Danielle's limp hand, trying to see what made Jay mention it, and saw a light blue and silver spark, floating in Danielle's hand. It was as if it was waiting for the fire to come spread the power back inside. Logan did not think he would be able to bring Danielle back to life, thinking that Jay was the one more apt to do the deed, and then remembered that the two pulled powers to those they connected to, even though Jay could have supplied some energy himself.

Perhaps there was no time for Jay to play the power partner. With Logan's healing powers and the ability for it to pass temporarily to Danielle, there stood the chance for her survival and her will to die eliminated. Logan took that risk, putting his hand into Danielle's and feeling a sharp and painful surge, almost nothing like he felt before, and sensed a pull of his powers, passing effortlessly from him to the girl naked on the floor, who choked some breath out of her dry lips.

There wasn't much time for the process to be completed by staying there. Realizing that, Logan picked Danielle up as the blue and silver spark transformed into a shield around them. Taking the hint, the older mutant made a run, following Roger and Jay to the back parking lot of the bar.

~00~

The world had been blurry, too many figures of people easing in and out of sight. Dreams were something that could not be remembered, although they had been too real when reacted. Soon though, voices called out, beseeching this and that plea. Feeling that the emotions were too much to handle, too much to take into her mind, eyes opened to a room that was hardly recognizable. It was cool, to be sure, and was too comfortable to leave, although sitting up gave her energy that did not exist before. There was nobody in the room save for a strong presence nearby and that was not the brother that shared her powers. However, others strayed elsewhere, familiar people that she wanted to reach for.

"Danielle!" Jean, sitting next to the bed, exclaimed to the teenager. She seemed surprised to see the younger Mitchell sibling awake, even after all of this time. She had been alert herself for two days, ever since that awful night, and it's been hellish to observe someone like Danielle suffer in her slumbers and soon hide behind a façade of calm.

Danielle said nothing though. She peered around her surroundings, still not understanding where she was. She did not answer Jean, not feeling a need to just yet, and pushed the blankets gathered around her body aside, feeling the goosebumps push up on her thinly-covered skin. She closed her eyes again, trying to spread her awareness around, and found her answers, although they were ones that she did not know existed. The setting had been a hiding place, a house that Hank McCoy had purchased some months ago. His fear, as well as everyone else's, that the mutants would be put to the extreme mettle was well-founded. He was concerned that some would need a place to hide before moving on to their next location.

It had been ideal, Danielle realized, as she soon she finished her assessment of the location. Yes, a two-floor house that hid mutants in plain sight was perfect. The locality was just outside of Salem Center, down on the other side of Westchester, and nearer to the urban sections of the town. The immediate neighbors seemed friendly, the streets were clean and there were no law enforcement officers purposely searching for people who were undesirable. It was nice for her to disappear out in here for the time being.

Jean, on the other hand, was concerned. Danielle turned back to her, smiling. Of course, the budding doctor (as Danielle had heard through the grapevine) would not understand her just in that moment. Danielle faced death and had it warded off. The temptation had been great and she had wanted to allow her spirit to see the light. However, she knew that help was on the way…that she had so much to live for…and that there was some way that she would remain the same, if only in body. Her mind…her mind was secure, secret too, and there was nothing Jean could do to make her forget the incident. Not now, not _ever_.

"Danielle!" Jean tried again. She saw the teenager stare at her with a blank face, admonishing her for wanting to ask if she was ok.

Of course, Danielle seemed outwardly fine. The damage to her neck had been reversed, all in thanks to Logan. Jay had been quick to notice that spark, realizing that he alone did not have time to give his sister the energy to survive and be healed. Logan had managed to take that small light and bring her back to life. That made him weaker in some ways (something that even made Jean snicker), although he was back to his sarcastic, gruff self within the same two days. In the living room perhaps, drinking the spare beer and waiting for Jean to come out from her endless vigil, Logan had sat in impatience, hoping that his efforts had not been in vain. Jean could reassure him of that when she next saw him.

However, there were things that Jean would not be able to reverse, try as she must and seeing it as a failure anyway. Seeing her charge becoming the innocent that she used to be would never come to pass. Danielle had entered into a realm that she could no longer exit from and that would be her next downfall.

"What?" Danielle whispered, her voice not used to speaking. "What is it?"

"I wanted to know how you felt," Jean said, feeling foolish saying it anyway. "You seem a little out of it."

"I suppose so," Danielle conceded. "Can I rest for a while longer and get up?"

"Sure." Jean patted Danielle's shoulder. "Be right back. We can talk then."

Jean left the bedroom and closed the door behind her. Seeing nobody in the kitchen, she made her way into the living room, the usual place for a gathering. A quick glance, as well as using her mind, told her that the group has moved on to Hank's office, the last room on the right. Entering, she noticed Logan, Roger and Jay sitting on the couch, the three seeming subdued after the events from two nights before. Hank alone sat in an office chair, twirling in it impatiently.

"How is she?" Jay stood up and wrung his hands in a worried fashion.

"I honestly can't tell you," Jean admitted, rubbing her tired eyes and feeling the lack of sleep finally catch up to her. "She seems perfectly capable of living life as she had before. She's speaking, is aware of where she is and seems to be her normal self."

"But there's more," Roger added, a glean in his eyes. Jean suspected that he was waiting for the announcement that Danielle would be courting death and unfortunately would be receiving it.

"I think time will tell everything," Jean only said, addressing all four of them.

"Time usually heals all wounds," Hank commented from his chair, the guilt in his voice very clear. "Do you think she forgot what has happened?"

"Doubtful." Jean could not lie. "I have been watching her for the past two days, Hank. There's no way Danielle has forgotten that night nor who had tried to kill her. I don't think even the Professor has the power to erase it from her memory bank."

"Not without doing it to me too." Jay grinned sardonically. "Can we see her?"

"If you want to," Jean allowed. "I am certain she will allow you to connect with her again."

Logan sat there, listening to the conversation over his head. He had no words to add. Indeed, it had been the worst two days of his life as well as the sickest. He had to thank Jean for all of her efforts, between him and Danielle, but there was something about that night that bothered Logan. It had not been seeing Danielle in a pool of her own blood. Hell, he had seen enough of that back in his war days, although it was disturbing to see her like that. It had not been holding onto her for dear life as he ran out the doors of the bar with her, only a bubble protecting the two from the riotous mobs coming after them. No, it was the feel of death on her.

Shaking his head as Jay, Roger, Hank and Jean left the room without him, Logan could not help but think of the coldness. As he felt his own life drain from him as he ran with the limp body in his arms, he knew that he had been carrying one who seemed to have seen the Grim Reaper too many times and had only begin to have tea with him. It had been worth his life though, he had to concede, although how he came to Hank's hideaway apartment, he did not know or could remember. All he recalled was Jean's cool hand on his forehead and falling in and out of sleep. There was some moments where he threw up, but that had been another story.

Logan finally got up, stretching his weary legs and walking towards the kitchen. He ached for a cigar and knew that Hank condemned all smokers outside. As he passed the last bedroom though, he took a quick glance and saw Jay, Jean, Roger and Hank sitting on the bed with Danielle, all of them clamoring for a word with her. While the teenager remained silent, time seemed to have slowed down and then stopped. Soon, Logan could hear no voices anymore, just seeing the room at a still moment with no people talking or moving. Almost surreal, he tried shaking his head again, trying to get it out of his head, but a turn of Danielle's head alone caught his attention and almost had him running scared.

Like Chameleon, Danielle's eyes had turned into a black onyx color, worse than it had been years before. When looked into, all Logan could see in them was a fire shining in them, suddenly hearing the screams of a thousand souls behind it.


	44. This One Song of Hope

**May 21, 2023**

Time ticked slowly as Danielle corrected test after test, her students silent as they awaited for the others to finish their assessments and the true fun could begin. It was her last class of the day and already, three o'clock and family time could not come fast enough. However, even Danielle was looking forward to the last part of her classes, today most of all. Once a week, she had a student volunteer to play a song for her. If she could not sing along to all of the lyrics of the song, that one student (grades pending) would pass her class. If not, another one would try to trump her the next week.

Granted, Danielle was stumped only once a few years ago and that had caused some laughter within the rumor mills. That was because a student had brought her brother's recordings and the album had been released locally and recently too. Danielle could not argue the rules and passed the girl, although she had been in good standing to begin with, and did her research more within the New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut areas concerning new bands. Since then, nobody had been able to surpass her. Indeed, most of the school waited anxiously to hear the song of the week anyway, rushing to the Music Room to listen. There was usually a large applauding crowd at three o'clock anyway.

Finally, it was two-fifty. Danielle put her stylus down, rubbing her aching hand. She then got up and collected the rest of the tests, putting the testing machines on her desk, and smiled at her class. She was about to ask for a volunteer to play a recording, but one had already gotten up and put her music player into the speaker machine in the front of the room. She turned to Danielle with a smile on her face and went to play the song. However, she paused it quickly, looking to Danielle the instructor in a serious way.

"I know you can sing this one, Ms. Mitchell," the student said. "I thought it would be a good change though."

Danielle waited patiently, listening to the familiar opening rifts on piano. Oh, this one was too easy. However, it was meant to be. She tapped her foot to the beat and soon began.

 _I'm sailing away,  
Set an open course  
For the Virgin Sea.  
'Cause I've got to be free.  
Free to face the life  
That's ahead of me._

 _On board, I'm the captain,  
So climb aboard.  
We'll search for tomorrow  
On every shore.  
And I'll try, oh Lord,  
I'll try to carry on…_

 _I look to the sea.  
Reflections in the waves  
Spark my memory,  
Some happy, some sad.  
I think of childhood friends  
And the dreams we had._

 _We lived happily forever,  
So the story goes.  
But somehow we missed  
Out on the pot of gold  
But we'll try best.  
That we can to carry on…_

By the refrain, Danielle had the whole class join in with her.

 _A gathering of angels  
Appeared above my head.  
They sang to me this song  
Of hope and this is what they said._

 _They said, Come sail away,  
Come sail away,  
Come sail away with me, lads.  
Come sail away,  
Come sail away,  
Come sail away with me._

 _Come sail away,  
Come sail away,  
Come sail away with me, baby.  
Come sail away,  
Come sail away,  
Come sail away with me._

It was nearing three o'clock as the song turned instrumental. Danielle had turned to the doorway on the right, seeing a crowd already peering inside the Music Room with interest. It was a tight hallway, since it was still situated at the end at an odd angle, and it always was amusing to see students and teachers trying to jump in and get a good listen and a view. She tapped her fingers against the edge of her desk, leaning just so on it and waiting for the final verses and having her class still sing it with her. She soon was so into the song that she did not realize that she was putting on a show, now dancing in the front of the room and generally getting sucked into the song.

 _I thought that they were angels.  
But to my surprise,  
We climbed aboard their starship.  
We headed for the skies…_

 _Come sail away,  
Come sail away,  
Come sail away with me, lads.  
Come sail away,  
Come sail away,  
Come sail away with me…_

By the end of the song, those in the hallway, now crowding into the Music Room and trying not to intrude, had burst into an ovation. Danielle grinned, the same that she did week after week, and bowed, urging her students to do the same. They all stood, doing as she motioned them to do, and soon dismissed the class. She watched the twenty students exit with the rest of the school, the one girl who used her music player taking it as she left. Danielle then sighed, feeling like she was the last to survive a battle amidst the chaos around her, and soon was cleaning up a mess left behind by everyone, including those who were in her class. As she did, she eyed Logan, leaning up against the door frame with his arms across his chest. She smiled at him, watching him warily, and stopped her ministrations. It could wait until morning, she decided.

"How was your day?" Danielle asked him as she walked over, sensing around to see if anyone was around. None were, so she bent over and kissed Logan passionately.

Logan returned the favor, soon breaking it. "Fine. I wasn't anywhere near 1973. Apparently, that starts end of next year."

"For most students, it does. I think the juniors have US History from Gilded Age to Modern. You only have that class tomorrow though. That's in the afternoon."

Logan groaned. "At least spending time in the library wasn't in vain."

"Neither has been talking with the Professor," Danielle pointed out, putting a finger to Logan's lips to shush him. "Come on. Let's find the kids."

Logan agreed. Together, without holding hands and fueling any gossip, the two left the room. Danielle closed the door behind her, locking it before prompting Logan on. Soon, they were walking the familiar hallways upstairs to their room, passing students who were complaining about homework, playing social catch-up or even using their powers for playtime. Logan and Danielle had to duck, skip and jump around most of them. Logan muttered about the kids being so careless these days. Danielle chalked it up to them being so excited about the end of the year next month and the summer recess it entailed.

By the time they reached their bedroom, Daken and Celeste were in theirs, doing their immediate homework and studying. Danielle had been strict about that, nudging at Logan to check on their daughter. He did not relish this chore, if he had to be honest with himself, and was anxious not to make a fool of himself. Although reacquainting himself with Celeste, he did not like the stares of the girls in her room, three giggly teenagers that would whisper to Celeste the silliest things about how hot her father was. Logan noticed it during the course of the weekend and found it annoying, although his daughter warmed up to him when she spotted him and showed him all of her schoolwork completed and quoting facts verbatim to him.

Logan seemed satisfied with Celeste. He then left, meeting Danielle in the hallway. She reported nothing of weight about Daken, only stating that he was done with his homework and was off to the woods with his friends. Logan had not liked that idea and was about to say something, but Danielle stopped him with a hand to his shoulder. The face she gave him spoke volumes of their son's solitude and wanting to stay away from his parents. Logan said nothing in return then, going to their bedroom for some solace. He had some essays to correct (and boy, did he not look forward that task either) and was soon joined by Danielle. Side by side, two went through each student's devices, correcting and grading while adding in generous comments by voice into the mini computers. Danielle showed Logan how to use the teacher's electronic log to code in the grades and send them to Xavier, something he was still figuring out. This closeness meant so much to him and he enjoyed every moment of it until the clock chimed five.

By dinnertime, Danielle stretched, offering to get dinner for them both and check on the kids again. Logan accepted, waiting fifteen minutes before he smelled food. Danielle reentered their room, muttering something about a food fight she had to assist Hank in stopping, and shut the door behind her with her foot. She smiled, putting the trays on a side table on her side of their bed. She touched Logan's head gently, kissing through the dark hair.

 _Kids are ok._ Danielle sat back down on the bed, her work competed for the night and feeling reluctant to speak out loud. _Daken is back from his walk and Celeste participated in the cafeteria fun._

Logan tried not to laugh, happy to at least share that link once more. It had been comforting. _Is she showering?_

 _Yes. I am furious with her. And all over a guy too! If I had my way, it would have been the slammer for her. Grounded, I mean, if I had a say in it. She pouted and threatened to go to you when I said something, throwing a fit in front of the whole school. I let her off with no handheld electronics unless for classes until the weekend. Couldn't quite embarrass her in front of everyone apparently, not without a fight from hell. I had to punish her somehow though._

 _Good to know I'm still the person who could do no wrong._

 _Yeah, well, justifying everything and being Daddy's Girl isn't my cup of tea._

 _Well, if I've been seeing right, you were a spoiled little brat too._

Danielle winced outwardly. "I'll let you slide on that," she said softly, her mouth twitching one way. "It's not fair to hold that against me."

Logan snorted, done with his grading for the time being. "I can. Seems like you were just a tough kid back then and always wanting your way."

"Once upon a time, there was a princess," Danielle began, laughing. There was some sadness in that merriment though and Logan noticed it.

"Your father," he said plainly, not willing to divulge on more details.

Danielle stopped laughing. "Yes," she conceded. "It was him. I think you can go back and trace it to him, I suppose. That's where it all started for me."

Logan did not want gloom to mar the rest of their evening, although he was sure that there was some time left to continue where the story had been left off and see it run its course to today. Indeed, their last session lasted too long, made Danielle tired and they almost missed waking up that morning. She was depressed and seemed to be distant too, skipping breakfast and heading straight to her classes. Lunch had been about the same, although the hours had mellowed her and she picked at her food. Three o'clock, as the class ended, was when Logan really saw Danielle come alive, especially in front of a critical audience like the school, and it was all because his students had insisted on it.

Seeing an opening and forgetting about dinner, Logan kissed Danielle. Pulling back from her, he immediately set off on a mission to clear the bed of their work. Succeeding in that, he ensured that they were alone and that the kids would not bother them for some time. Daken was interested in a continuing game of Risk and Celeste was blogging on her computer with some friends, all of them urging her to post about her love life. Grinning, Logan returned and locked the bedroom door behind him. He dimmed the lights, rushing forward to Danielle and pushing her onto the bed and peeling her clothes off.

Throughout it all, Danielle giggled like a girl. She allowed this one indulgence, feeling that there was something of their old relationship back. She even played along, trying to tackle back and get Logan's clothes off too. Failing that and feeling teased, she disappeared on him, only managing to get off the bed, run behind Logan and jump on his back, wrestling with him to convince him to join her in the same clothing state. The two fell back onto the bed, Danielle winning this round as she reappeared.

"Not fair," Logan whined mockingly, feeling pinned to the bed as Danielle sat right on top of him.

"Who said I was fair?" Danielle let out a hilarious snort, undoing Logan's belt after he fought over the shirt. "Hold still. It goes easier that way."

"And if I won't?" Mischief gleaned in Logan's eyes, almost as bad as the children.

Danielle only shrugged her shoulders, feeling excited. "I don't know yet. My powers go as far as my imagination and I have yet to bind you physically with my powers. Keep it up and I'll think of something and you are not going to like it."

~00~

Early the next morning, Danielle woke up suddenly. Although it was maybe before dawn and the sun was hardly up, she felt oddly strange. Noting that Logan was still slumbering next to her fairly peacefully, she quietly slipped off of her side and suddenly felt the darkness envelop her. There were no lights, not from the radio or the alarm clock. Raising an eyebrow in speculation, she checked in the hallway, only her head showing and not her naked body. Seeing the same results, she clicked the door shut and got dressed. While she did, she heard the familiar sound of thunder, rain and wind.

 _Damn storm. Why the hell does it need to rain now?_

Danielle muttered some profanity for good measure and left Logan sleeping, intent on knocking on Xavier's bedroom door and disturbing his sleep. However, she was in luck and she passed him on the way to the third floor, right by the elevator on the second floor. He smiled at her, noting her disheveled dress compared to his crisp one so early in the morning, and motioned her to a corner. She followed, hoping that they did not wake anybody up.

"There can't be classes today," Xavier explained quietly. "The rainstorm that was promised on Friday came two days early and quite unexpectedly and was more serious than I thought. We don't have power in the building. There is another storm coming."

"I figured as much." Danielle sighed. "Another day of study?"

"I would hope so," Xavier replied. "Quite activity, I should think, although I think we'll have some of the children underfoot in the living room soon enough."

"How long is this storm lasting?"

"Hank managed to turn on a battery-operated radio for me. We listened to a weather report and could not get a clear account of it. The best we received was that it would be until the weekend before anything could be restored. If we do not have classes until then, I would count it a loss and move on. We are all ahead of ourselves anyway."

"Breakfast?"

"Leftovers. I am certain the students would not find cold food. Hank contacted Alex for some help with it. The two have been transferring everything from the cafeteria to downstairs and will try to find a generator that would power the school."

"Would that be wise?"

"The students are not authorized downstairs unless they are training."

"Of course." Danielle nodded. "I'll let Logan know. I'm sure Jean will notice something off and notify the rest of the faculty."

Xavier nodded, allowing Danielle to leave. She went back to her room, finding it as quiet as the moment she departed. She was about to go back to bed and get an hour's more of sleep when she found Logan awake and staring at her quizzically. He knew that the power was out and that they were not up for their usual schedule, which might mean that something was seriously wrong. Danielle just smiled, rolling back into his arms. Her head rested on his naked shoulder. She then slipped off her clothes, feeling ten times better than usual.

"Continue the story?" Logan inquired quite innocently.

Danielle could not deny the request. They had enough time before Daken and Celeste knocked on the door. Indeed, if this storm continued and Alex and Hank could not work a generator, then they would have all week to themselves. Then, with a flutter to her heart, she recalled that Michael and Riley were due to drive into New York next weekend, just a mere ten days from now, instead of this weekend, as she hoped. She was excited inside to see them again and to meet Michael's boyfriend, but she was not happy about delving into the past again. She had an obligation to Logan though, nodding to him and sitting up with him, both still naked.

"A few hours," Danielle urged, feeling the headache come on even before she used her powers. She wasn't going to tap into Jay either.

"I promise," Logan said, waiting for the travel backward.

* * *

 **Lyrics are from the Styx song "Come Sail Away".**


	45. Falling

**March 22, 1994**

It was said that it always took nine months for a child to be conceived and born into this messy world, breathing out the blood and mucus as they cried. It was always a long process and the end result was always the best and the happiest. Not so, Danielle had to disagree, sitting as she did at Teller's bar one night during a week off from her classes, an early spring break from Xavier. She sat across from her brother at a table, bored with the entertainment Vinnie managed to put on when she needed a night off from singing, fiddling with her edition of Edgar Allan Poe's complete works and some gross-tasting margarita that Jay had bought for her. The music being played wasn't as good as hers, Danielle had decided, and she would offer her lovely services tomorrow night. That was the least she could do for Teller and Vinnie.

Indeed, it was all she could offer now, even in light of things. Ever since that night almost a year before, she felt herself fall down a rabbit hole that she could no longer see a bottom to. Danielle was too good at hiding her feelings that even Xavier did not notice that she was spiraling down, returning his warmth with just a little smile and some laughter. She even fooled Logan, so she thought. He did not pay any attention to her, even at Teller's, and would only sip his beer at the counter and talk shit with whoever happened to be there. Usually, it was Roger (much like right now), the two of them acting like they were the best of buddies. Sometimes it was Jay, but even her brother disliked Logan, something he did liked hiding from people. His reasoning was never clear. Whatever it was though, it was something special.

Danielle snorted. It was her lot to walk through this world alone, she knew, and to keep her secrets close to her heart, away from even Vinnie. She tried sipping her margarita, wanting to spit it out because it wasn't quite to her taste, and wished for a cigarette she knew she could never smoke and loved anyway. Grinning at Jay, to chase away the sarcastic comment that was on the tip of her tongue, she wondered why she was here. Sure, she always liked coming and seeing Vinnie when she had the chance and didn't have classes. Yeah, it was great to hang out with people and learn who was who and why things were. However, it was getting on her nerves. Between Jay and Roger training her so rigorously, her turbulent arguments with Vinnie and a whirlwind of smiles that kept everyone away, she had no time to think and stop herself from falling further.

Jay looked to Danielle, unable to get through her line of defenses, something he was annoyed with. "Something so funny?" he asked her, pouring himself another shot of Jack Daniels and downing it. Teller had allowed him a bottle for a high price.

"Naw." Danielle squinted, seeing another familiar shadow enter the bar. "Just thinking."

Jay tapped the Poe volume. "You've been wading too much through this dark world. Thinking of murder and mayhem?"

"Perhaps." Revenge wasn't something Danielle thought of, but Duane Webber had been one she was intent on getting back at and in more ways than one.

"Thinking of drinking?"

"Maybe."

"What else are you thinking about?"

Danielle bit her lip. The recent current events were something surfacing in her mind and nothing Jay wasn't aware of. With everyone else at the school, she watched with horror as Ellis rose from the Senate floor to the presidential cabinet, a personal advisor to the president and more. A new department of Mutant Affairs had been made, something that even made Hank scurry to the law books for, and Ellis was a part of it. Rather, Danielle had to correct herself, it was his cousin, Peter Ellis. His wife, Mary Belkin-Ellis, had been gearing up too, she noted, and it wasn't just making her husband's speeches and pretending all was well between them. No, she was petitioning the government to crack down on the mutants and ensure their captivity behind a camp fence, something unheard of in the United States ever since the Second World War. It was an appeal signed by millions, an alarming number, and presented to the president. He would consider it, he said, and made plans to count the mutant population.

That was the last that Danielle had heard and that was this afternoon, when she found Xavier's newspaper in the living room. She read through the scattered sections on several side tables, putting her hand to her mouth each time something bothered her. It was disturbing, she had to admit, and could not fault Logan for sticking through it for so long. She suspected that people (maybe Roger, Hank and even Logan and Jay) calculated that Ellis was in it for the long run and was interested in keeping the mutants twisted around his fingers. It seemed like a trap to Danielle and one that she was not keen on falling into, whatever it was.

Worse yet was Vinnie, Danielle had to admit as she allowed herself another sip of her margarita. His behavior had gotten worse since that beating last year, wilder and without reason. It was too easy to hide it from everyone, she was happy to say, and yet…yet, it was still bothering her. Why she decided to stay, why she thought that she was deserving of all of this…it did not make sense. Beatings were normal, she had come to accept, and in her mind she did do wrong to Vinnie and did not please him often. Forcing himself on her? That was new, something that started the month before. Even Vinnie's new friends had joined in on the fun, pushing the would-be fighter against the wall and overcoming her. That was Danielle's weakness. Try as she must, she could not overpower four grown men and all of them taking a piece of her ass.

Still, she could not answer Jay across from her. Instead, Danielle turned to the shadow that had recently entered and had presumed to take a seat between her and Jay. Her brother said nothing, calling out to Teller for another shot glass. Danielle downed some of her margarita, opening her Poe book and trying to absorb the poem that had recently called out to her. The alternating colored lights annoyed her, the chatter between Jay and the unknown person lost to her.

 _By a route obscure and lonely,_ _  
_ _Haunted by ill angels only,_ _  
_ _Where an Eidolon, named Night,_ _  
_ _On a black throne reigns upright._ _  
_ _I have reached these lands but newly_ _  
_ _From an ultimate dim Thule –_ _  
_ _From a wild clime that lieth, sublime,_ _  
_ _Out of space – out of time._

 _Bottomless vales and boundless floods,_ _  
_ _And chasms and caves and Titan woods,_ _  
_ _With forms that no man can discover_ _  
_ _For the tears that drip all over;_ _  
_ _Mountains toppling evermore_ _  
_ _Into seas without a shore;_ _  
_ _Seas that restlessly aspire,_ _  
_ _Surging, unto skies of fire;_ _  
_ _Lakes that endlessly outspread_ _  
_ _Their lone waters – lone and dead –_ _  
_ _Their still waters – still and chilly_ _  
_ _With the snows of the lolling lily._

 _By the lakes that thus outspread_ _  
_ _Their lone waters, lone and dead –_ _  
_ _Their sad waters, sad and chilly_ _  
_ _With the snows of the lolling lily –_ _  
_ _By the mountains – near the river,_ _  
_ _Murmuring lowly, murmuring ever,_ _  
_ _By the grey woods, by the swamp,_ _  
_ _Where the toad and the newt encamp –_ _  
_ _By the dismal tarns and pools_ _  
_ _Where dwell the Ghouls._ _  
_ _By each spot the most unholy –_ _  
_ _In each nook most melancholy –_ _  
_ _There the traveler meets aghast_ _  
_ _Sheeted Memories of the Past._ _  
_ _Shrouded forms that start and sigh_ _  
_ _As they pass the wanderer by._ _  
_ _White-robed forms of friends long given,_ _  
_ _In agony, to the Earth – and Heaven._

"Hell- _o_? Earth to Danielle!"

Danielle looked up from her poem. "Huh?"

Jay laughed, the tone light and amused. "You don't recognize our cousin, newly given back to us?"

Danielle glanced at the stranger with newer eyes. "Oh, it's you. Hi, Matthew."

"Really, Danielle?" Matthew shook his head. "After so many months and me being on the road all over the country, you forgot I even existed."

"Yeah." Danielle was honest. Matthew had been released from jail the year before, skipped town and traveled the US in search of mutant tolerance and found none, as far as she was concerned. Her cousin had yet to tell his adventurous tales.

"I'm sure it's been a while." Jay was quiet for a minute. "Matthew, did you even tell Jubilee?"

"What? That it's over?" Matthew scratched his head. "It's been over, Jay, over and done with for a couple of years now. She graduated a few years ago, demanded a ring and I denied it. I'm not ready. I love Jubilee and always will. In my heart though, I see that she's not for me. I want someone I can grow up. I don't want kids. I want a woman who can prove to me that a strong relationship is worth having and that she can grow with me, _because_ of me."

"Been hearing about what's been happening here?"

"With Ellis? Who cares, cousin? Getting more people involved is better. There are mutants out there who are denying the segregation and games and would anything in their power to make it real for all of us. They want equal rights and to be acknowledged as people. They don't want to end up like the blacks, the gays and lesbians or even any minority group in this country. We want equal representation under the law."

"And protesting was the best thing to do?"

"Somebody had to do it."

"You seem to be more radical by the day."

"Not like Magneto, Jay. _Never_. I have never punched anyone or thrown a riot. I've been pretty peaceful. The Professor impressed me on that remark."

"Not the way you've been going to jail. The rate it's been going, your record will fill this bar."

Danielle listened to Matthew and Jay's conversation with little interested. She went back to her book.

 _For the heart whose woes are legion_ _  
_ _'Tis a peaceful, soothing region._ _  
_ _For the spirit that walks in shadow,_ _  
_ _'Tis – oh, 'tis an Eldorado!_ _  
_ _But the traveler, travelling through it,_ _  
_ _May not dare not openly view it!_ _  
_ _Never its mysteries are exposed_ _  
_ _To the weak human eye unclosed;_ _  
_ _So wills its King, who hath forbid_ _  
_ _The uplifting of the fringed lid;_ _  
_ _And thus the sad Soul that here passes_ _  
_ _Beholds it but through darkened glasses._

 _By a route obscure and lonely,_ _  
_ _Haunted by ill angels only,_ _  
_ _Where an Eidolon, named Night,_ _  
_ _On a black throne reigns upright._ _  
_ _I have wandered home but newly_ _  
_ _From this ultimate dim Thule._

Suddenly, Jay closed the book on Danielle, something that startled her. "Hey, bitchy sister of mine, mind paying attention?" Jay seemed serious the way he was talking. "I was just telling Matthew about how far you've been coming along with me and Roger."

"Yeah, when can I get a shot at fighting you? I need to test my speed and the lightning strikes." Matthew's powers were mostly fighting, fast and furious, and he was nicknamed Thunderstrike for it. He was grinning from ear to ear though, taking the shot glass finally delivered to him by Teller and grabbing Jay's bottle for the pouring. "Hey, since when do you get special treatment?"

"Since I work here," Jay replied, rolling his eyes. He then turned back to his sister. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Raven," Danielle said coolly, irritated that her only chance at some peace was disturbed. The name for her brother just popped out though and she went along with it, almost like it belonged to him. "I'm trying to get some reading in."

"You've read this a million times, Bluejay," Jay complained, picking up the Poe volume and handing it to Matthew. He too went along with the nicknames, although his cousin was curious about it. "And I think you can't drink worth of anything. Hand that over."

Danielle gladly relinquished the margarita, wishing for the Jack Daniels her brother and cousin had. Instead, she had to watch Matthew gulp her drink and then try to snatch the bottle from Jay. Her brother was quick though, hiding it underneath his chair and in-between his feet. The two then chatted about this and that thing, something that made the teenager feel like she was no longer welcome. She then glanced over to Logan and Roger. The two were head-to-head in some conversation or another, something she could pick up if she wanted to. Shrugging her shoulders, she got up and confidentially went over. It was a feeling that she could feel on the outside, but it was something that she had to show in order for the world to leave her alone.

"…and sometimes, she flinches," Roger was saying to Logan as they drank their beer at the counter, words that Danielle was sure referred to her. "I don't know why. She fights blindly though and that's a plus."

"Hi," Danielle butted in, nodding as she took a seat on the right, next to Roger.

"Aren't you a little too young for drinking?" Roger asked, seeing Danielle resist the urge to grab a spare cigarette from the counter.

"Who said I was drinking?" Danielle twirled in her seat, crossing her legs in style. "I wanted some company that wasn't Matthew and Jay."

Now, Logan was snorting. "Kid –"

"I'm not a kid anymore," Danielle interjected.

"No," Logan conceded, feeling embarrassed for having been corrected the way he was. "We're just lookin' out for you."

"I know." Danielle smiled, almost ready to flirt if need be. Even Vinnie, over by his station, was squirming and even frowning by her newer poise.

"Anyway," Roger said, "we were just talking about how you were coming along. I was hoping Logan would come in for a lesson."

"If he wants to," Danielle answered flippantly, although her heart was beating faster with the suggestion.

"Jean and Storm are going to be teaching you with the mutant powers, since physical sport is the name of my game," Roger commented, trying to get serious as he crossed his arms. "I do have an assignment for you though, Danielle, and one that is to be discussed later."

"Sure." Danielle glanced over Roger's shoulder and saw Vinnie leave the bar. She would get it later and she knew it, the way his face was stormy.

"Hey, Danielle!" Jay yelled, coming to the counter and trying to get her attention one more time. "Snake Eyes is drawing out tattoos. Want to join us?"

Before Roger and Logan could say anything negative, Danielle was up on her feet. "Count me in," she only stated, following her brother and cousin to the back hallway, where Teller normally kept his meetings.

The two remaining behind watched the threesome go. It had them worried, Roger most of all, because of what every step along the way entailed to, especially this new assignment he had. He was now realizing what Logan had meant and why he felt so guilty. However, he, as well as everyone else, could not turn the clocks back. No, he had to keep moving forward and that meant allowing Danielle to continue her pathway and to become the person she was destined to turn into.

"Think she figured out the plan yet?" Roger asked Logan gravely, his eyes still on the young adults as they disappeared into a room, his hands playing with purple fire. "I mean, it's a simple act of revenge for her."

"The Professor isn't approving this," Logan observed.

"No," Roger agreed, "although he does not need to know this particular scheme of ours. We agreed on this a year ago, Logan."

"And that Duane Webber will be eliminated too."

"Right. And it'll be by the only person whose blood he shed and had nearly allowed death to claim."

Logan did not need the specifics. He only mourned inside for the innocent that was dead in Danielle now more than ever before. She can changed this year, he was certain of it, and death had made her his creature. She was toyed with by this new friend, abused and pushed around, and she wasn't letting it go. The only thing less certain were her thoughts. She had become more withdrawn and depressed maybe, something everyone chalked up to growing up. Logan found it hard to believe it, intent on finding the truth, especially in light of this new task at hand.

Duane Webber had to be killed…and Roger was sure that Danielle was up to the deed still.

* * *

 **The poem above was from Edgar Allan Poe, called "Dream-Land".**


	46. An Interruption of Hypocrisy

Ever since last June, it had been discussed between Hank, Alex, Roger and Logan about Duane Webber. His intent had been despicable, his actions more so. Xavier had not been up to the meetings during that time, claiming to be ill as of late, but the four had an idea as to why he was not putting his heart into the fight anymore. No, it had been of the violence upon his own students, and his charge at that, and how it had changed her. Xavier had an idea that Danielle was a teenager traumatized and that death was now courting both Mitchell siblings, through first war and then suffering. Between that worry and Magneto begging to be released onto the Ellis camp, planning out the demise of Duane Webber was not in Xavier's schedule.

Alex had suggested it first all those months ago. Calling a meeting at the height of summer, at the end of the term the year before, he ordered the remaining three to gather in the underground floors without saying why. Hank thought it one of school security and one that required some planning, hence calling in Roger and Logan both. He was not sure why he had been asked to see Alex, only that he, as well as Logan and Roger, were in bewilderment, asking each other the simple questions and feeling unable to quell their curiosity.

In every way, Alex appeared grave and tight-lipped initially, offering seats to the three and starting the meeting immediately after Roger shut the door behind him. "Gentlemen…even though I use his term very loosely here, present company considered…we have a problem and one that we would need to solve very slowly and very carefully."

Roger lit up. "Are we killing Ellis?"

"Not yet," Alex replied, grimacing. "At this point, all things considering, it would be suicide to contemplate killing off Ellis. It would be convenient, I would agree, although he is too guarded and right now, it would have dire consequences for the mutant community."

Roger was a little disappointed. "It seems we're on an assassination squad though."

"Right," Alex conceded, "but it's not who you think it is."

All heads turned to Alex. "What?" Hank asked, uncertain if he heard Alex correctly. "We're going to… _kill_ …someone?"

"Yes," Alex said, feeling nervous that he was going to repeat himself a few times. He could not believe it himself too. "I have talked it over several times with Charles. He is against it and I have doubts of turning his head on this one, although he said it might need to be done without his sanction. However, the more this person is left to his devices, the more damage there's going to be for us."

"Duane Webber." Logan wasn't going to skimp around the subject.

Alex nodded. "Duane Webber has caused more trouble that I can count. Ever since he was set upon the mutant communities by Ellis, he has been bribing, coercing and even being friendly. After attacking Danielle, he has shown his true intentions. Nowadays, it has been said that he has been kidnapping mutants for Ellis and using them as part of their campaign against us as a whole. Senate hearings, investigations and experiments have been a part of this cycle and it's been all in Ellis' name and Duane's doing."

"Matthew –" Hank began with hesitation.

"Has no scruples about it," Alex interrupted. He did not need to tell Hank that even Matthew had reserves, much as they all had, and had taken some time alone in his jail cell to give Alex the positive answer. "Matthew wants nothing to do with his father. As far as he is concerned, the man killed his mother, sisters and grandmother. He even almost killed Danielle, his own cousin. He said his father deserved his just deserts."

"So what that he's just been gathering mutants?" Logan was not impressed and even did not seem surprised, knowing this because Teller informed him quietly. "The main point is that he's willing to murder and might do it again. He has not hesitated getting his hands dirty."

"Indeed," Roger added. "This might be our only chance to take him down. When do we start?"

"You seem a little eager," Hank observed, glancing at Roger in what seemed exasperation. "Having trouble?"

"After hearing of a few of my men being picked up, you'd be irritated too." Roger seemed bitter, the news surprising all of them, especially from the master spy. "I would do anything to stop Duane from moving up."

"Me too," Logan chimed in, even if the thought of killing someone like that bothered him. However, he did not have an idea that Roger was having trouble with Duane, this one fact fueling his rage against a man who would raise a hand to a teenager.

Hank shook his head. "I don't think I could be party to this."

"You suggested sending Danielle on this dangerous mission," Alex pointed out. "A bit guilty, Hank?"

The blue mutant shook his head. "It might be full circle for her to do the killing," he said slowly, "but it won't be right. It also isn't right for us to resort to such measures."

"Who said we were sending Danielle in?" Roger's eyes shone. "I think we're getting too ahead of ourselves."

"Agreed," Logan growled.

"However, it might not be a choice. As soon as she hears that he's dead, she'll be wanting a pound of flesh." Alex sounded serious. "A girl like her is too dangerous to cross nowadays."

"How do you figure?" Now, Logan was confused.

"Danielle Mitchell has turned into a fighting machine," Alex said, staring at Roger specifically and with the venom in his voice too. "Although it has been appreciated that one so young has been trained for a role so vicious, we cannot feed a fire that constantly bubbles. However, I am seeing now that there might not be anything that stands between her and Duane Webber. I vote that we allow her to do it, but wait as much as we can before telling her. Things might change our minds."

Hank gulped audibly, feeling trapped and a little betrayed. "On the condition that Jay is nearby."

"Or myself," Logan added, feeling uneasy.

"Me as well," Roger almost sang, feeling as if his ultimate triumph was within reach.

"When, we are agreed." Alex moved to dismiss the meeting. "Danielle Mitchell can be groomed for the role of assassin and will eliminate Duane Webber. If anything in the time changes, we will work to do it ourselves. God help us though. We are now using children."

Regret had lined the four of them for the year, although it had been three days before Danielle knew of the plans. Even throughout the holidays, when they noticed her changing more and more, they did nothing and their minds noted that she was in many ways heartless. She had demonstrated to them that she was emotional stable and physically capable. She was more than recovered from the incident in June and was more than willing to her part. Granted, Jay had not been happy when he heard, but he no longer had control and could not be seen openly with his sister anyway, hence visiting her on weekends and when she was at the bar. And Xavier…Alex, Logan, Hank and Roger knew that it was best that he did not have knowledge of the plans. It was enough that he was dealing with not just Magneto, but also with the state of New York's Child Services for Danielle and being lectured weekly upon how to take care of her, although there had been no formal complaints.

There was time to turn it all around, Logan thought, as he drank at the counter on a cold late March day, although tonight was hardly the time to turn back the clock now and change Alex's mind. Danielle was nearly fifteen and had hardly drew blood, skilled only in knives, hand-to-hand combat and shooting (a little, Roger reassured Logan). He also was sure that she was an expert in defending herself well enough, although Roger had mentioned time and again that she had a large break in her wall and it could crumble anytime, the abuse of her childhood from Chameleon making its mark. However, there was a voice in the back of his mind that told him that this was still wrong. That wall of hers was going to fall apart and there wasn't anybody who was able to put the bricks back together, not even him.

His task had been clear this night, even before the ultimate task. Logan watched carefully as the usual people went down the secret hallway of Teller's with their side wenches, hoping that the bar owner would not be blamed for the death of his colleague. Ellis was a fickle man and would castrate Teller if he had the chance to, especially since he (as well as Chameleon, Logan was told) knew of the plans to kill Duane Webber. From there, he noted the man in question and nodded at him, raising a beer glass in his honor, if he had to call it that. Duane did not see the gesture and went on his merry way, unaware of his fate.

From the stage, Danielle sang her song of the night. Logan hardly paid much attention to it, but nodded in acknowledgement when her eyes rested on him. Vinnie managed the lights offstage, his hands still gesturing to the band out of sight, somehow making it too perfect.

 _But it doesn't matter  
How I feel, anything at all.  
Since I've left you with the wrong,  
Impression while I'm still the same._

 _When I turn around and look  
At my life, shadows in disguise,  
But I'm working on  
An interruption of hypocrisy._

After the song, another act was put onstage and Vinnie flawlessly went from Danielle to the next singer. Danielle left with a round of applause, nodding her head to thank the crowd before her as she hid within the people milling about. Even Logan lost track of her for a second, trying very desperately to catch up to her. Finally, he saw her at one point, appearing very changed and very much involved with her new mission, concentrating on blending in. Soon, Jay was behind her, trying to appear as normal as could be, and would be to an untrained eye. The two managed to go down the forbidden hallway, Snake Eyes allowing them in as partiers surged around.

Done with his beer for now, Logan paid Teller and was soon slipping in and out of the shadows too. He went past Snake Eyes without him noticing and navigated through the congested hallway. A woman or three made themselves known, throwing their bodies over Logan, but he ignored that too until a particularly pretty one caught his attention, redheaded and taller than he was. He kissed that one passionately and without feeling, sensing the untamed portion of him try to rattle the cage bars. Feeling the urge, Logan pushed his temporary flavor of the night against the nearest wall and started chewing on her ear lopes, his eyes still on Jay and Danielle. The former had managed to find himself a woman and was doing the same thing as Logan. The latter, however, was busy becoming the ghost and using the cover of chaos to enact her ghastly assignment.

For Danielle was no stranger to the darkness. Noting Logan behind her and Jay to the left, the teenager, hardly fifteen and her mind set on the task before her, felt the strong sting of poison posed in her pockets. She was called a black widow by Jay for a reason, a spider that was always spinning a web and now was about to spread out her and kill. The tattoos she managed to get a few days before – the black widow on her right shoulder, a raven on the left and _Nevermore_ stamped on her lower back – reminded her that pain was fleeting and death always the eternal sleep of mercy.

Duane Webber deserved to die for his grievous ways. It was his due, a mercy that Danielle was willing to bestow on him, the one who was more than happy to see her bleed to death on the floor. Alex had explained everything to her just three days ago, said that she needed to be quick and for him to die quickly, and that was enough before Jay went in with the gas can. None of them could do this deed, she thought, positioning her body at the doorway and awaiting for her chance to strike. No, they gave this to a young woman, hardly graduated from high school, and one that had been in training since she was maybe twelve. They were fools to think their hands would be clean, Danielle mused. They were also silly to believe that they would think her worthy of such a serious thing.

And it was grave, Danielle knew. As she moved her hand quickly to turn off the lights in the room Duane was in, listening to the woman with him exclaim with frustration, she recognized that this was a dark path she was walking down and one that she could never come back from. She justified this by telling herself of the event from last year, feeling the coldness of death crawl inside of her like Jay, and waited until Duane's little whore proclaimed that she was bored and leaving. Duane protested and begged her to stay and after a few minutes, she consented, only offering to get more drinks and to maybe complain about the lights. Then, she left Duane, opening the door to Danielle and closing it on the teenager's command, a knife to the naked woman's throat.

"Get out and don't come back," Danielle warned, using her powers to make the woman forget her face. She regretted it, but it was to ensure that she never went to jail.

Luckily, the woman obeyed, leaving the way open for Danielle. As Jay moved to a room with his date and Logan decided that enough was enough and chose another, the short teenager swiftly made her own move and slipped inside, closing the door loudly enough for Duane alone to hear her. He muttered something about being fast and got up, going up to Danielle as she put her knife away and endured the warm tentacles that pronounced her death the year before.

"Hmm, warm and cladded again," Duane whispered, not realizing that it was his niece once more. "I like it…"

Danielle went through the motions again, trying hard not to anticipate every move. However, she was soon playing in the dark, stripped naked and pretending to like what she had. She left her knives within reach, her fingers itching to use them, but she waited patiently until Duane had an unguarded moment. On the floor on her back finally, she reached back and pulled at her pants pocket, taking one knife into her hands and stabbing Duane right in the center of his neck.

" _Bitch_ ," Duane managed to whisper, trying to grab onto something in his defense. However, Danielle was faster, taking the other knife and stabbing Duane again in the neck, slicing from ear to ear with the initial weapon, just as he did to her.

Getting up and turning the lights back on, Danielle studied her work briefly. Duane was in the last throes of life, death gripping him boldly. His face was one of shock, hoping to avenge himself and realizing too late that he could never have his way. Danielle grinned as she put on a pair of latex gloves, taking out a pack of Marlboro cigarettes from her pocket and lighting it without putting it to her lips. She put it to Duane's mouth, watching the ashes stay and then flicker down as the man soon was still. She felt nothing, no regret or remorse, and that alone made her wary, even of herself. However, it was a job well done and a human bet on destruction dead for his actions.

"Death to all who discriminate, human or mutant," Danielle whispered, leaving the room.

* * *

 **Above lyrics are from Lacuna Coil's "Unspoken".**


	47. News of a Different Sort

It had not taken long for the police to conclude the case on Duane Webber and the small fire at Phineas Teller's bar. The final verdict had been negligence on Duane's part, smoking in a room, falling asleep and setting the place on fire, his severely burnt body revealing none of the marks of murder. Insurance had covered the cost of rebuilding the back hallway, Teller received money from the incident and the place blossomed once more. Ellis, on the other hand, paid for Duane's funeral, mourning him on national TV as the man who flourished under his wing, a man who fought for America and one was lost to the cause of freedom.

Danielle snorted, watching the news in the living one afternoon after her vacation. She, as well as many other older students, speculated on why Ellis would glorify a local man who spent his life terrorizing others, and soon dropped the subject when a shadow made itself known. Ororo, crossing from the doorway to the power button, had then turned off the TV, reminding one and all that they had homework to complete and a weekend to do it in. All had groaned, moving away from their Friday night rituals and heading upstairs. Danielle alone remained with Ororo, eying the budding teacher without thinking. She had grown away from her and Jean, she noticed, and while Ororo hardly said a word, it was a smile that brought Danielle a little closer. She wanted to tell Ororo all of her secrets, choosing in the end to keep quiet. It could stay mum for a little while longer.

Ororo soon was sitting on the couch with Danielle. "How are things?" she asked, meaning well by her question.

"Good," Danielle answered, unwilling to say much else.

"Classes?"

"I'm ahead of everyone else. The Professor said I could graduate next year as he promised."

"You have plans for college?"

"I haven't decided yet."

Ororo paused, willing her tongue to be stilled. She had heard so much about Danielle since she went to college herself, a lot of it making her blood turn cold. In the past few years, Jay and Roger had turned her in an unfeeling assassin. Vinnie Paul had perhaps made her more wary of people and less social. Teller had always made her suspicious of people and trusting less those who loved her. And Logan? Well, he had been keeping his hands away from her, ever since the year before, and it was killing him to see a young girl turn into an adult so early, especially since he was trying hard to prevent it, ever since Danielle was six years old.

"I am hoping you at least take some classes at the community college," Ororo ventured gently, hoping to be less of a parent and more of a friend this way. "At least it'll be a start, you'll knock out those electives in no time and you'll decide then what you want to do."

"I see." Danielle did not seem to want to continue the conversation.

"How are…things at home?" Ororo asked, willing the teenager to say something else other than monotone sentences.

"I haven't seen Mom really. She stays in her bed every time I see her." Danielle paused. "Jay, well…I see him on and off. I'm not really supposed to."

Ororo smiled, ruffling Danielle's red hair. "Things will be better. I promise."

And there it was again. That smile that Danielle held onto, the one that told everyone that she was still fine, painted her face. Almost proudly, she was showing the remains of the year before, the scar that Duane Webber had left her, and it made Ororo do her hardest not to recoil at the memory of that night and the immediate days afterward. A tremor went through her body, seeing the young teenager that way, and she suppressed her tongue from saying what she felt needed to be said. However, Ororo was not one for counseling, even though her upcoming teaching degree decreed it. It was especially not these days when everything was turning into true chaos and was happening all at once.

"I'm going to see Vinnie," Danielle volunteered, feeling the need to say something in the awkward silence. "I'll be back before nine."

"Don't you have homework to do?" Ororo seemed suspicious that Danielle would be leaving at such a busy time outside the school and even when she was supposed to make her weekend free.

"I was planning on staying up late anyway," Danielle replied, poised to leave. "Jean said she'll be putting a movie on."

"Yeah, that's right, she did." Ororo rubbed her forehead, pushing her white hair aside as it frizzed and swayed. She was regretting growing it longer. "I forgot. With so many things going on, it's easy to forget the fun things we have planned."

Again, there was that smile. "Of course. See you later, Storm?"

Even with her reservations, Ororo had to consent. "Yes…yes. Of course. I'll see you later."

~00~

Jean had planned her movie out for eleven o'clock, putting in the VHS tape in for mostly an adult audience. However, when so many students heard that she was planning something odd and exciting, some of the older ones came down to watch, although their bedtime had been a couple of hours before. Being a Friday, Xavier allowed them to stay, but they had to put in something a little friendlier towards their company. Sighing, Jean put in something else, cuddling against Scott on one of the couches, but it was not close enough for gossip. Xavier remained on the other side of the sofa in his chair, Hank was with another woman on the love seat (Jean suspected that it was Mystique) and Alex and Lorna were on Jean's other side. The others chose to find a spot to settle down on (on the floor or on another seat), watching the snowy screen turn to color and soon the previews.

About ten minutes after the movie started, Ororo entered the living room, appearing in every way frantic. She searched for a minute, her glance resting on Xavier. Quickly, she went up to him, whispering in his ear about something urgent, and motioned that he needed to leave with her. Xavier obeyed, feeling a little disconcerted that he was missing this movie, and followed Ororo past the foyer and into a corner down a hallway near his office. The two then stopped where nobody could see them, the dark shadows hiding them well.

"What is it?" Xavier asked, unsure if he should read Ororo's mind or not.

"It's Danielle," Ororo confessed, her feelings of guilt spilling forward. "I saw her earlier. She said that she was going to be with Vinnie and be back here by nine to do some homework. She has not been seen or heard from. I called Teller, praying that he had seen her. He said he briefly saw her in the upstairs apartment around six, when she and Vinnie were cooking dinner for some of his other employees, but he was too busy with some construction workers in the bar to really pay attention to what was being said or what was going on."

"Did Teller check the apartment?"

"Yes, he did, Professor. He was up there around seven and then again when I called. The apartment is empty, the food abandoned and there's no evidence of anyone being up there."

"Is Jay aware? Is Logan there?"

"Yes, Jay is there now, but Logan is not. Teller passed the phone to Jay after I was finished with him. He said he had some things to tell us when we came." Ororo seemed bitter and angry, most likely because she was also screaming at the two for being irresponsible. "Logan might be out in the woods again, although I'm not sure since I haven't seen him since lunch. Jay said he'll be on the lookout for Danielle when he's off his shift. He's too busy to listen to news."

"Find Logan," Xavier ordered. "Go with him. Logan is going to need all of the backup we have available."

"What about your appointment on Monday with Child Services?" Ororo seemed worried, a list of possibilities playing out in her mind. "Without Danielle, they might be apprehensive."

"They don't need her," Xavier reassured her. "They are just inspecting her living conditions and most likely will be satisfied until next year, when she is sixteen. They are also discussing allowing her to go home more often, to see Shannon and Jay."

"There might not be any visits if we don't find her," Ororo urged. "I never liked Vinnie Paul and never will. Being with Danielle –"

Xavier held his hand up for silence. "I know, Storm. Go. Find Logan and go see Teller. He might be the clue we need."

Ororo did not need any more prompting. She quickly headed out the front door, scanning the horizon as she went and parting the clouds for the moonlight. The lamplights above her head also illuminated her way down the driveway until she veered left into the woods. She ran down a well-worn pathway, tripping a few times over a random branch or root or avoiding the nocturnal woodland animals, and soon was in a clearing with a stream. Not seeing Logan, she moved a few more clouds for some clearance, seeing a figure above her head. She squinted, seeing the familiar silhouette of the older mutant.

"Logan!" Ororo called out.

Immediately, there was a crunch of leaves. Logan jumped down from his perch, standing before Ororo in what appeared to be an old military grade uniform from maybe twenty plus years ago. His reaction was purely confusion, but he recovered himself. He was not used to some people joining him on his nightly vigils, either at the bar, in the woods or around town, and did not expect Ororo Munroe, of all people, to be out this time of night. However, the look of concern on Ororo's face was something that made him stop. Something was wrong, Logan decided. The thought made his blood want to boil with anger.

"I need you to come to Teller's with me," Ororo said with preamble. "We have some trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Logan was not keen on following Ororo there tonight, although he was still curious as to why. He was not planning on seeing Teller this night.

"Danielle," Ororo replied. "She promised to be back a few hours ago and she has yet to appear. It's eleven-thirty and nobody has seen her."

"Nothing I can do about it."

"Logan, we need you on this. You're security detail for the school."

"And it hasn't been twenty-four hours yet, just over two. She might be stuck somewhere."

"She isn't, Logan. She went to see Vinnie earlier. Teller has yet to catch them, but he has some information for us."

That changed Logan's mind. "Has he seen her before she disappeared?"

"No," Ororo confirmed. "I should say, not since earlier this evening. Apartment is empty."

"Let's go." Logan took the lead without question, taking Ororo back to the mansion and into the garage. He found Scott's motorcycle again, using his claws to start it up as he handed Ororo the only helmet. The two climbed on and soon were off, the gates closed behind them.

Ororo had never seen Logan drive that fast before. Although she was sure that he was used to avoiding any law enforcement, she was still nervous, gripping the back of his shirt tightly as she eyed one police cruiser after another. Soon though, they were at Teller's bar and parked, seeing it in full swing. Ororo threw the helmet to one side at their parking space, following Logan to the doors and becoming annoyed when the bouncer (who Logan introduced as Snake Eyes) told them to wait. Soon, after five minutes, he came back, allowing the two to enter and directing them to the back rooms.

"Surprise to see you here, Logan," Snake Eyes commented as he turned to leave the two.

"Urgent business," Logan threw back, going into his usual meeting room with Teller and finding a seat. Ororo sat next to him, feeling like she was suffocating as Logan took out a cigar to smoke.

It didn't take too long before Teller showed up. He quickly shut the door behind him, grinning when he saw Ororo, although this business was not for pleasure. He sat down at his own seat, taking out a cigarette and smoking. He appeared grim too, like the prospect of saying what he needed to was hard and a job he did not relish. He finished his habit as Logan did, taking a deep breath before speaking.

"I found out some information just before you called," Teller started, looking at Ororo. "I didn't want to say it over the phone. Too many ears, you know?"

Ororo nodded. "I see."

"I love Vinnie as a son, but what I found out made me fear that I did too much for him in the long run…or maybe too little." Teller took out another cigarette from his pack on the table, but did not light it. "I encouraged him as much as I could and did what I thought a father should do, things my old man did not. I did not realize, even with town rumor, that he had a dark side I could not tame. He hid that well, did his job great and I was happy."

Logan waved his hands impatiently. " _And_?"

" _And_ , Wolverine, if you don't manage to catch him, I will." Teller's face turned from grim to irate. "The master of illusion has been abusing Danielle for some time now. He beat her, slap her around and even kick her a few times for good measure. Recently, he has been gathering his friends and using her as a toy. They just can't pick on someone their own size."

"What do you mean?" Ororo froze, fearing what was being implied.

"What I mean, little lady, is that Danielle is being gang raped," Teller clarified, finally lighting up his cigarette. "Vinnie thought it a great idea to test her skills, found out that four or five guys can pin her down, and decided that forcing themselves on a fourteen-year-old was manly. I don't know what happened a few hours ago, but what I can see…she was forced out of that apartment. I don't know where, how or why. All I know is that she might be anywhere in this town…and she might be dead."


	48. Confessions of a Fiend

Logan drove Ororo back to the school and soon returned back to the bar alone (and with Scott yelling out permission to use the motorcycle this time). He waited out the few hours before Jay was released, sitting at his usual spot at the counter and drinking beer. At about four in the morning, the elder Mitchell sibling was heading out the door, soon joined by Logan after he paid his late ab. Jay sneered, not wanting to talk with Logan and in every way intent on searching for his sister. He wasn't going to show his hand though, trying to keep the bubbling rage inside of him.

"Spill it," Logan barked as they arrived in the back parking lot. He sensed the feelings Jay had an wasn't about to be a victim of a ticking time bomb.

Jay did not even flinch. "You're an asshole and you annoy me. Plain and simple."

"Well, at least you're honest." Logan continued to walk with Jay, not looking at him. "That's not important right now though. Finding your sister _is_."

Annoyed, Jay stopped, guiding Logan by his shirt collar and pushing him against the brick wall of the bar. "You think I don't know that, Logan?" he asked rudely. "I could hardly contain myself when Storm called. Teller had to trap me in a room for an hour and make me promise not to run off. He even told me what had been happening…what he found out…before letting me loose. My head was spinning and I could not stop it, almost felt like I was in the sandbox again, the way I was going…I mean, I was repeating the news over and over again in my mind…and I still am somehow not surprised. Vinnie needs to be stopped and he needs to pay somehow. I just don't have enough on him yet to make it justified."

"Can't you find your sister with your powers?" Logan scowled, trying his hardest not to release his claws and kill Jay right then and there.

"No can do." Jay sounded grim. "Danielle has been so good at blocking everyone from her mind that she can literally disappear. I don't think even the Professor has the power to use Cerebro and locate her. This isn't pleasant news, if you get my drift. And with a sadistic psycho running her life, we might have not have a chance unless we team up. I could enlist Alex, but he's already too busy with other things. Scott, Jean, Storm…they might be able to check out the library, some schools and maybe a cemetery, although I'm sure Storm is too upset at this point."

"Why the cemetery?" Logan was confused.

"My sister has a secret obsession with running on sacred ground," Jay said. "You know, it runs in the family."

"So does being unforgiving," Logan commented, remembering the job Danielle had done to Duane Webber and how close to jail he thought she was. Luckily, she was a few steps ahead of everyone else and made sure her hands were clean in the matter.

"You have a point. However, let's split this up, just so that I don't have to deal with you and you don't have to see me. Ok?"

"Fine."

"All right. Take the south end of town, grocery stores, the head shops, restaurants…those things around town. Think like Danielle and look at places where someone her size could easily hide at in. I think the YMCA, train station and Catholic high schools are down that way too."

"You taking the woods?"

"The north end anyway, towards Westchester. Ellis' territory, but hell, I might catch something that nobody else did with him on the way. You can take the south end, down towards the city."

"And you said Jean, Scott and Storm will do the school and library?"

"Yeah. Sound like a plan?"

"When do we start?"

"Anytime would be great, but now is preferable. We have the weekend. The sun will be up in a few hours. It would be easier to hide in broad daylight."

Logan nodded. "Any way I can contact you?"

 _Same way Danielle does. Her links are my links._ Jay had to grin. _Same with her. My links are hers. So, buckle up, Logan. We're in for the long haul. I'm just grateful for a few nights off finally. Working six days a week is tiring._

 _And how are you breaking this to your mother?_

 _What she doesn't know won't kill her._

 _Where have I heard that before?_

 _Probably my sister. Now, let's get a move on. We're killing darkness here._

Logan agreed. Nodding again, he headed back to the motorcycle. As Jay drove off on his own bike, Logan thought. There were so many possibilities with this search and none of them seemed to be right. Yes, it was a great idea to split up the town. However, Logan was anxious. Danielle and Vinnie might have skipped town for all he knew. Ellis could have picked them up and had them hoarded in some cell somewhere. Hell, Danielle could have even killed herself and left her body somewhere to rot.

 _No._ Logan could not think of that last one. He started the motorcycle up, perhaps thinking that he should have scouted his assigned areas, but pondering other plans, all of them revolving around finding Vinnie Paul first. Heading out of the parking lot, he watched the sun come up, using all of his senses to locate one or the other and not finding either.

It was almost six in the morning by then. Businesses were opening up slowly, cautious of their early morning visitors, and some people ambled on the sidewalks quietly. Logan followed the traffic rules as much as he could, taking a few U-turns when the police weren't looking, and was soon nearing the green, where the rally from a few years back crept back into his mind. It was the beginning, he noted, and one that wasn't going to end well too.

Pushing those memories aside, Logan circled the center of town, intent on heading back towards the south end, when he saw Mae Ellis walking back towards her car, heavy bags in her hands. Immediately, Logan did what he could to get anywhere near her, even cutting across traffic to get to a parking space next to her car. He killed the engine, calling her name a few times before she noticed Logan on the driver's side of her car. Shutting her trunk, she smiled, but she soon turned it around when she realized how grim Logan was.

"Haven't seen you in a while," Logan greeted when Mae approached him, getting off of the bike as he parked it.

"Same with you," Mae replied tartly. "Roger tells me a lot of what you've been up to, although I've been bored with the specifics. Some things aren't being done right."

"I've done my best." Logan knew what she was implying by the statement and changed the subject quickly, just to avoid the usual arguments. "You hear what happened?"

"No, why?" Mae was confused. "What's happened?"

"Don't worry about it then." Logan wasn't breaking the news to one so close to the Mitchell family. "Rumors are rumors."

"Indeed." Mae sounded stiff in her manner, her tone saying that she was partially blaming Logan for what was happening. "A lot of them seem to be true these days."

"I don't know what you're talking about." It was easier to be poker-faced and not admit a thing.

Mae slapped Logan in the face. "I think you do. You're not going to admit it."

Logan rubbed his face, feeling the sting recede quickly. "I'll forgive you for that."

"But I doubt I can forgive you for what you… _all_ of you…are doing. Corrupting young people!"

"Hey, in my defense –"

"I'm done with excuses, Logan. Jean, Storm and Scott may have missed the brunt of the violence, but they have yet to see most of it anyway because they don't allow themselves too, unlike some people. It was lucky that Scott had been saved when he was. Jean and Storm are more likely to keep in training and hopefully never see blood. Jay and Danielle? How could you?"

"Listen, Jay was overseas –"

"I _don't_ care!"

Logan realized that he was getting nowhere with Mae. She was becoming very unstable and irrational, just as Shannon was some time ago, her voice almost becoming like an insect's buzz in his ears. He allowed her to rant and rave for a few minutes, trying to find an exit an ignoring the passersby. As Mae continued on though, he looked around the sidewalks, noting the people. One of them caught his attention though and it was one that he had been looking for.

"You stay here," Logan finally interjected, just after Mae started calling him some names he had not heard in years. Darting out from behind Mar's car, Logan cut across some traffic, narrowly missing a few vehicles that honked their horns in dismay, and soon grabbed on back collar of the person laughing with a group of friends, seeming to be so carefree after evaporating into thin air the night before…

"What the hell?!" Vinnie screamed, feeling his body being thrown against the nearest brick wall, suspended two feet from the ground, and with adamantium claws to his throat. "I didn't do anything this time."

Vinnie's friends seems to have disappeared as soon as Logan came to the scene, all of them screaming about running away and not doing what people said they did. It left him and Vinnie alone though, which made it more dangerous. Logan was aware that the younger mutant could have made his past life a reality if he tried. However, all he got from the scum was laughter. It seemed too dangerous, even with Mae peeking from the other side of the street, and Logan was very wary. He did not want to start something he wasn't going to be able to finish. However, if Vinnie wasn't using his mutant powers, fair was fair. Logan put his claws away, noting with a little glee that his opponent was slightly bleeding at the neck. He remained cautious though, his mission partially (hopefully) completed.

"Where is she?" Logan demanded instead.

"I know of many females just you do, Logan," Vinnie pointed out, his voice still full of merriment. "I can tell you where most of them are, although some might not want to see me."

"I believe you know who I am referring to." Logan's tone was very threatening and cold, something that stopped Vinnie.

"Danielle ran," Vinnie immediately admitted. "She was a whiny child and we dropped her off by the river with no way out."

"What?" Logan wasn't in the mood for vague details. What he had was enough to make the rage blind him.

"We left last night before the bar opened," Vinnie clarified, grinning. "She tried running away and we caught up with her. We turned her around, no doubt about it, and we tied her to a pole by the river."

"Treating her the way you had been, I would think better of you."

"She deserved it. A knife-wheedling feisty bitch who is a freak of nature to begin with is one whose just desserts are needed. My friends and I would be again more than willing to destroy a blight on the mutant community and ensure its survival."

Logan had enough. Not willing to hear any more of what Vinnie had to say, he punched him in the face. Blood flowed freely down the younger mutant's face, something he thought hilarious. It was pretty obvious that his nose was broken too, the way it hung from his face in a misshapen way. However, his mouth hung open, the laughter running through Logan's ears like a bad song repeated over and over again.

Suddenly, Logan didn't feel like he was in Salem Center anymore. He found himself back somewhere in Asia in World War II, ambling through the jungles with his captors, his hands tied behind his back by heavy chains. Other soldiers were marching the same way he was, whipped as they staggered and begged for water. He then looked ahead through the lush greenery, wishing for a cigar and asking himself when and how the walk was going to end. His thoughts ranged from the way he saw many of the POWs get killed to how brutal the Japanese were. Although he had the ability to heal rapidity, it did nothing to endear him to the so-called enemy, one that was aiming to keep him in isolation until the end of the war perhaps. They saw him as a threat and one that they were willing to do anything to get rid of by any means possible.

Logan tripped over a heavy branch. He heard somebody behind him scream in their foreign tongue and whip him in the back while a sword of sort variety poked him in the sides. Clothes that he thought would stay on were now disintegrating from his back. He was bare from the waist up now, the blood and wounds vanishing as swiftly as they came. He got up as fast as he could, managing a glance backwards at the person behind him, dead by a beheading. Ignoring the urge to ram his bone claws into the nearest Japanese soldier and just end it, he continued on the march, missing his brother, whatever was left of his home in Canada from his childhood and even his mother, of all people, who committed suicide soon after he ran away from home.

"Logan! Logan!" a voice called from nowhere, pulling Logan back into the present day and back to Salem Center. "Logan!"

It was strange to once again see Jay and now Roger in front of him. Groaning, Logan realized he was lying on the ground and tried standing up, waving Roger and Jay away as he quickly regained use of his legs. Jay, who had seen what happened and tried bringing Logan back from the past, appeared in every way grim and tired. The search did not seem to be going well, Logan realized with a sinking heart. There was going to be no way to find Danielle.

"What happened?" Roger asked immediately, glancing back across the street to Mae. She was still fuming, Logan saw, and most likely saw Vinnie's attack as just.

"Caught up with Vinnie," Logan said. There didn't need to be another explanation.

"What did he have to say?" Jay was anxious for news, although missing the young mutant by seconds was something that bothered him.

"He and his friends left Danielle by the river," Logan replied with a groan. "Tied her up."

"What?" Roger appeared dismayed, already in the circle of people who knew of the current situation. "They're doing some construction work down there. New bridge and all. They're blowing some things up. Area has been closed for two days now."

"We'll head down that way," Jay decided. "Logan, check the areas that I assigned to myself. I did scout the schools and some woods. Roger managed to get the municipal offices."

As Logan nodded, Roger looked back to Mae once more. "My soon-to-be wife-to-be is waiting. Unfortunately, we had to let her in too."

"And trust me, I don't want to hear a lecture from her again." Jay sighed, directing everything back to Logan. "All right, let's stick with the same communication system. Meet me and Roger back at the school by six in the evening at the latest. I hope to drop Mae off at her house before then."

"Right." Roger cleared his throat. "Let's head out."

"And may Vinnie Paul be far away from now," Jay added grimly. "If I get my hands on him, I'll ensure he dies a slow and painful death. At least he'll get the ultimate mercy then."


	49. Pushed Out of Isolation

Logan felt that Danielle was nowhere near the business district and he felt that his welcome had been used up anyway. He could not smell her nor had anyone seen her, all of them shaking their heads and declaring what a shame it was that she was missing. There had been a change though, one that seemed to make Salem Center more sinister and one that made Logan want to crawl into his skin. Trying his best to be nice and polite with the answers, he took Scott's motorcycle and exited the area on the other end, heading towards the unemployment office, the train station, a Walgreens and the YMCA and library. He knew that Jay mentioned that the library was covered by Ororo, Jean and Scott, but he wasn't going to miss the chance to check there too. He would see this immediate area, go circle downtown towards City Hall, the green and the business district once more. From there, he figured the next places would be the bus station towards Westchester, the woods and maybe the hospitals or a health clinic.

It was a shot in hell, Logan figured, and it was one that was logical. The natural instinct for a girl like Danielle was to run away and find someplace peaceful. If she was hurt, she would turn to a place of refuge like the hospital, and then limp away to lick her wounds someplace secluded. With that in mind, the older mutant headed towards the library first, soon running into Scott and Jean. The former scowled, on a mission that seemed futile, and the latter was worried, her red hair hiding her face of despair.

"Heading somewhere?" Scott asked snidely.

"On the highway to hell," Logan replied automatically, something that perked Jean up.

"This isn't the time for bickering, you two," she admonished sternly. "We need to find Danielle."

"Why?" Scott whined. "It's not like she has done this before."

"Not on this scale, no," Jean conceded. "However, it's important to find her. The school might be in some serious trouble if she isn't found and Child Services sees it."

"And we'd be under a microscope," Logan added.

Scott snorted and muttered something about troubling families. When Jean turned to him and tried taking the negativity out of him through some subtle gestures, Scott finally turned to a role Logan had only heard about and had yet to see. Everyone had talked about Scott and his skills as a leader and he had yet to test to, only using his wits to tell Ellis anything Xavier, Hank and Alex pushed him to. Now, he was under pressure to be responsible and search for someone he hardly liked and with no basis in that dislike. It made him transform into a different person, cool and collective. That too grated on Logan's nerves, but that was beside the point.

"What areas have been checked out?" Scott asked Logan.

"Not much," Logan admitted, not willing to bend to Scott's lead. He was going to be a loner on this mission this time. "I was heading to the normal places Danielle might be, looping back downtown and seeing the train and bus stations."

"We've been to the schools," Jean added. "Nothing there."

"And might not be," Scott mentioned. "We'll head east. Logan, you go west."

"As if I wasn't thinking that already," Logan mumbled.

Jean shot Logan a look this time, changing it to concern in seconds. "What about Jay? I know that he said something about seeing to a section of town…"

"The river," Logan confirmed, trying to figure out how, in a short period of time, Jay sounded the alarm and got these two up-to-date. "Vinnie admitted he left her there."

"What?" Jean was shocked. "How? Why?"

"I managed to find him." Logan seemed embarrassed in retrospect on how Vinnie fled from him. "Didn't take long for him to escape. He said Danielle needed to be tamed and most likely was better off dead."

"Those who know and do not understand her powers believe the same thing." Jean seemed somber, her lips thin and grave. "They believe her and Jay to be a menace and better off dead. Their powers are like nothing anyone, human and mutant, has ever seen or heard of before except for one and he had powers of his own." Jean did not wish to say the name, Logan noted, but she continued anyway. "There is nothing that points to a source except genetics and that seems to be a mystery too, since their parents possibly have most of the same powers they do. The human body sometimes takes an evolutionary step forward and towards one that nobody can understand."

"The power runs as far as their imaginations can go," Logan added. "If you ask me, that's some pretty powerful genetics."

"Right." Scott seemed distant from the situation for once and said nothing more about his hatred, although it was obvious that he wanted off of the subject. "Jean and I will run down the other end of the river then and see if there are some clues."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it." Logan turned on his heel and started off towards the library, getting Scott's hint. "I'm out."

It was a pleasant trip away from Jean and Scott, Logan had to admit as he decided to enter the Salem Center Public Library, and being in a quiet building took some of the worry off of his shoulders. He could not count the number of times someone asked if they could help him though. He only asked in return if they saw Danielle, since he figured most of them knew her by sight, and all of them shook their heads. No, they had not seen the younger Mitchell sibling in some time. However, they had a lot of books to suggest if Logan had time to browse sections they just recently built, all in thanks to Senator Ellis.

"No time, but maybe later," Logan replied to each of them. "However, if you see Danielle, send her back home. She's needed."

All of them nodded as Logan left each floor and then eventually the library itself. Of course, they knew that home at the farmhouse was not where Danielle should be. They all heard of Xavier taking her in as a foster daughter and using the school as a smokescreen to keep her out of the public eye. Salem Center was always a place for gossip, Logan thought, and one that he was best to stay away from had he felt no responsibility here. Feeling a little let down, he walked in the direction of downtown once more, feeling that maybe he wasn't on the right track. Just as he continued on his search though, he accidentally bumped into someone, shoulder to shoulder. Apologizing blindly, he went on his way, but then stopped. His nose picked up on something and that was familiar. He turned around immediately, watching as the person he just met run in the opposite direction. Hooded, all in black and hunched over, the figure made a mad dash away from the library and down towards the unemployment office.

"Danielle!" Logan yelled, wishing that the teenager wouldn't run so fast. "Danielle, wait!"

That didn't help though. Logan figured as much as he chased Danielle down the hill and through ongoing traffic. She managed to run through the cars without trouble, although Logan had been tapped one too many times and screamed obscenities as the drivers did, and soon saw that Danielle had literally disappeared on the other side of the street, still running. Logan stopped when he reached the sidewalk, taking a deep breath and smelling the trail once more. There was a light one, heading straight towards the business district on the other side of the downtown area. Logan hooked a right, taking the roundabout route, and soon saw a shadowy figure that resembled the teenager around the block. He pumped his legs harder, soon ramming right into Danielle and pinning her to the ground. She reappeared and struggled, her eyes the onyx black that did not recognize friend from foe.

Logan resisted the urge to slap it out of Danielle. However, he felt that he might not have control over himself if he started. He felt his hands link to Danielle's instead, trying to keep her from running again, and it made him sink closer to her, like they weren't two people and slowly becoming one. There was a blue and silver light around them, enveloping their bodies within the glow, and a power surge that Logan had never seen before. Within seconds though, it was broken and he was suddenly sitting on the sidewalk and wondering what the hell happened.

Danielle was no better. Seemingly back to normal, she too sat up, appearing pale and shaky. She gagged, feeling her stomach jump up and down, and managed to keep her bile down. She started getting up again, but could not, like some unknown force was keeping her in place. She felt herself immobile, unable to move to her own will, and glancing at the man who stopped her from running…running away…

 _To what end though?_

There was no answer to the question, even as Danielle felt control being taken away from her and her mind being put on hold by her brother, who now found a way through her defenses. Logan, on the other hand, was doing his best to look out for her. He did not know of her troubles and did not need to, she figured. Except the sympathetic look from him told Danielle everything, that he was told something or found out through other means. She did not care to go through his mind either way, even if she wanted to. She wanted nothing more than to hide, to run away again and to never have a soul see her through, to never have a person worry about her again…

Logan found a way to get back up again, turning when he heard some voices behind him. Jay, Roger, Scott and Jean grouped around him, congratulating him on finding Danielle and asking details he had no answers to. During all of that time, Logan kept glancing at Danielle, allowing everyone else to talk to each other and not to him. She was so lost and without feeling that she could not speak. Jay still had her under his control and would not allow her to run off again. That actually annoyed Logan so much that he was scooped the limp teenager into his arms and carried her back to the foursome that were talking in hushed tones now. This stopped them from talking and prompted some action on Jay's part. The exercise left him tired and Danielle drained. She was asleep in Logan's arms before he knew it.

"What? Is she now the enemy?" Logan inquired, his voice sounding angry.

"No," Jay replied. "I thought this would be the only way to sedate her and bring her back to the school. You jumping on her was a bright idea though. At least it made her stop."

"So, now she's an escaped prisoner." The way the other three with Jay nodded made Logan madder than he was. "Do you realize what she's been through?"

"No," Jean admitted. "We can imagine it though. But you're being a little too harsh, Logan. We don't mean it that way."

"Exactly," Logan pointed out, ignoring half of what Jean protested. "We can't relate to her and we can't see what she's been through. She has isolated herself, either because of us, Vinnie or herself. Either way, we cannot treat her like this. She's not a caged animal. She's a mutant with uncontrolled powers and under an equally uncontrollable age. We need to coax her back out of that isolation."

"What would you know?" Scott asked, his leadership position now in shambles since Jay had taken his place. He was annoyed enough. "You have no children, Logan. You cannot understand who they are and what they do. Danielle is just a product of her environment, something you cannot comprehend either. You can't change her."

"I'd be careful of what you say, if I were you," Jay growled as a warning to Scott.

"Enough, the both of you." For a second, Jean's face turned grey and black and then back to normal again, almost in a menacing manner and unlike her in every way. "Logan has a point. Let's return back to the mansion."

Throughout the exchange, Roger said nothing. It was best that way, Logan mused, as they started back to the mansion. Roger had hailed Mae down as they were proceeding back, directing Logan to place Danielle in the back seat. Jay, Jean and Scott managed to squeeze into the back as well and Roger took the front passenger one. Logan waved them away, not wanting to be around anyone, and put his hands in his pockets as the wind picked up and he headed back to the motorcycle, to drive back to the school. Other than being too crowded, he could not stand seeing the last act of the drama. Danielle was safe for now and that was what mattered to him. How long it would take for her to stand against the incident was another story and one that he was willing to leave to Xavier this time.

Thoughts also ran through Logan's head. However, he pushed them away. He wasn't ready to admit to feeling frustrated, worried and sick at the same time. It was a horrifying discovery about something that young and one that he was still stewing on. That a person could encourage his friends to disable and then gang rape a young girl was beyond him. However, he knew that Danielle would not be able to leave the school for a while. Xavier, Hank and Alex would make sure it happened. On the other hand, he, Roger and Jay were free to roam, especially around the bar. And since Teller was cooperating lately, it was a good sign that they could enact the ultimate revenge.

Logan was sure Teller wasn't going to care anymore, pondering this as he found the bike again. The way he talked the other night…he wanted Vinnie gone. Logan then had an idea. It might be some time before he was about to do anything about it, since they were all so busy with Ellis, but he could make Vinnie pay and in more ways than one.


	50. We're Part of a Team Now

Xavier decided to give it two weeks before he went to Danielle's room to talk to her. In the meantime, he excused her from her classes without her saying a word. He managed to gather her assignments and send them to Jean and Ororo to pass to Danielle. They were completed on time, sometimes even before the due date, and were corrected vigorously. None of them seemed to indicate that she was distracted from her schoolwork. Indeed, it seemed more of an excuse to forget what had happened. Danielle poured her entire soul into it, exceeding even Xavier's expectations. Hank was amazed too, adjusting her papers with a gusto that even made the Professor pause.

Time healed all wounds though, Xavier thought. After two weekends of gushing comments about Danielle, students in need of help and even a faculty that was as lost as she was, a Saturday night seemed to be free in his schedule. He make certain that Danielle was stationary (she wasn't allowed to leave the premises anyway) and would be able to welcome him into her inner sanctum. He was going in with trust though. He wasn't going to use his powers to see what was the problem was this time. No, Xavier was willing to listen to Danielle this time and allow himself to make the best judgement call that he could as her parental unit.

Ignoring the latest news about Ellis and the mutant problems that plagued the country, Xavier used the elevators and wheeled himself to the bedroom that whirled around so much drama and juicy stories the past few years. Chuckling to himself as he recalled the days, Xavier knocked, hearing some papers rustle and footsteps gingerly move towards the door. It opened slowly, Danielle's face peering out. She then disappeared behind it, opening the door wider. She said nothing, allowing the Professor to enter without much protest. Xavier took this as a good sign and allowed Danielle the space to find herself a seat. She closed the entranceway behind her and crawled back to her bed, choosing to be polite to her guest and sit up, knees locked to her chin and arms around them.

"I hope things are going well," Xavier began somewhat nervously, trying to find the right words to say. "Hank has told me much about your progress and can't stop talking about it. It has been very positive."

Danielle allowed herself a smile. "I try my best."

"We all do. Sometimes, we stumble and fall. It's just up to us to find the way back up and forward."

"Life has a way of always doing that always, I've noticed. There's never a way to keep standing forever, Professor."

"That's your choice," Xavier urged, going to the heart of what he wanted to discuss. "It's always up to you and you alone to either do it alone or to accept the helping hand. In this case, we all never knew. I also was not aware of your powers going out of control in the last year."

"Death," Danielle whispered, almost like it was a forbidden word. "It keeps coming closer to me. I don't know why."

"Then don't allow it," Xavier replied. "Push it away."

"I can't," Danielle protested. "It's always a part of me…of Jay…of my _mother_ too. She always told me that death was something that would always court this family. It was just the manner that it approaches each of us…she said that was always different. Mom never had an idea of what life was, I figured. She watched too many people die in her lifetime, before Jay was even born, that made her the way she is now."

"Get past it." Xavier did not want to think of the ways Shannon Mitchell turned herself into a monster of her own making. This one was passing onto her daughter and one he needed to stop at all cost, before her powers went totally out of control. "Your mother also told me many things too, things that I never probed into until recently. Did you ever hear her talk about life and death and how they relate to a person?"

Danielle shook her head negatively. Xavier was afraid of that answer. Better from him than Shannon, he thought, and he took the plunge.

"One day, Life, the giver, asked Death, the taker, why people hated him so," Xavier started, unsure of where he was going with it. Shannon and life lessons did not normally mix. "Death told Life that he was a beautiful lie while he was a painful truth."

"She was right." This made Danielle very still and quiet.

"But it doesn't have to be that way," Xavier protested. "Life can be a beautiful lie because we make it out to be. As long as we know what is ahead of us and prepare, we can turn that lie into the truth. And that truth is that, well, not everybody has perfect lives and strive to make it better than what it used to be. You're not the only one with overwhelming gifts nor are you the only one who struggled with them in a short childhood. I thought I was the only mutant out there until I met Mystique. Roger managed to burn down a few houses in his early teen years, indirectly causing his parents' deaths, before he was picked up by myself and Magneto in 1962. Alex was a quite the delinquent before his parents' deaths and spent most of his life without Scott in solitary confinement in a prison cell. He even managed to see them one last time before their plane crashed before he and Scott were separated for some years. Magneto was a concentration camp survivor and saw many of his kind, amongst many others, die. Lorna was abducted in grammar school before Alex and Hank managed to rescue her, finding out that it was her father that had kidnapped her, to take her away from her mother. And Logan…"

It was here that Xavier stopped. Logan's seemed to be one of the most difficult, if not the longest out of all the mutants he listed. Logan's journey from hell began the day he killed his biological father and seemed to have fizzled out after those fateful days in 1973, although he had been recruited to go to Vietnam, to be reunited with his brother, and eventually was an experiment in Stryker's little schemes. Logan had managed to settle down into somewhat of a normal life, more so than he ever had, and this new leg of his life concerning Ellis and his plans was something that Xavier did not plan for him. Indeed, Logan was the best at what he did and what that was always involved death, something Xavier felt was in the future, just not for Logan.

"What about Logan?" Danielle asked softly, her head perking up in interest.

Xavier waved a hand in dismissal, jumping out of his reverie from twenty years ago. "His was a different kind of life, vast and harsh," he said to Danielle. "That story for him to tell alone and one I suggest not asking him about now. All I can say is that Logan has been through the wars of our nightmares and the destruction he never meant to havoc. That alone should suffice for now."

Danielle did not seem satisfied with the answer and accepted it nonetheless. She would find out later, she vowed to herself, and nothing was going to stop her in this quest. She wanted to know more about Logan, ever since she was a child, and was fascinated until recent events made her turn around. Now, this new curiosity turned her around and made her think twice. She would prove to him there was a friendship, now and always, and that he could trust her with anything.

"In many though, Danielle, we are a part of a team, and so are you," Xavier continued, unsure of why he was so uneasy about discussing Logan and feeling no need to. "You're part of a group, a responsible one, that would ensure that mutantkind and humanity coexist side by side until there is no peaceful way anymore. We cannot side with right or wrong and cannot be the judge. We cannot take life from another, although it has come to my attention that much has been done, not in my name, but on an individual basis."

Danielle's face flushed. "It was not done on my own, Professor, I promise you that."

"I understand." Xavier did not comprehend Alex and Roger choosing Danielle in a ghastly deed, but that was not the point here. His offer was more important. "However, you cannot blindly join something and never know the details as to why and how."

"What are you saying?"

"Merely that I am asking you to join the X-Men."

Oddly enough, Danielle's heart jumped up and down in despair. She did not feel worthy of the position. She was not even fifteen, a young teenager who hardly graduated from high school, never weaned off of being home and had known a small circle of people her whole life. She felt so young suddenly, like a six-year-old and too dependent upon others to hold her hand, and then remembered who she was and how she came to be. Those lessons from Roger and Jay were not for their enjoyment, although they had admitted how much they loved to beat the shit out of her. No, they were to prepare her for something, being a part of the X-Men one of them perhaps. The other was yet to be seen, although Danielle had clues and pinpointed who they were gearing her for.

"How am I to be a part of this…team?" Danielle gulped, gripping her knees tighter. "I have got to be the youngest one there and the least experienced. I'm sure Jean, Storm and Scott would be better for anything you have schemed, Professor."

"In more ways than one you can be a help and it doesn't have to be fighting," Xavier reassured her, although with a sinking heart, he knew too that Danielle was much too young and he could not stop her growing up. "Jean, Storm and Scott will be there in different ways, just as you will be. However, there will be many people who will cover your back other than them, ensure your growth and even challenge you to your limits. It's a choice, Danielle, and one I cannot force on you."

"And it's one I can accept." Danielle unwrapped her arms and sat normally on her bed now. "I won't fail you now, Professor. I can't continue to stumble as I did and pretend that nothing is wrong. I will make you proud."

These were words that Xavier heard from many students, although from Danielle it seemed more heartfelt than most. "I sure you will," Xavier replied, keeping his composure well for one who was attached to his students the way he was. "Now, here's our new plan. I'll first tell you the details of our latest and longest assignment, although I'm sure you are aware of most of the story, and will fill you in on everything you need to know. Don't argue, just listen…"

~00~

Logan waited patiently in the underground room, feeling the late hours creep into his bones. He was tired, oh so tired, and waiting for a few people to join in on his meeting was something he did not like. It was not the waiting part that bothered him, but the way it had to be conducted and what was at stake. It involved another killing, yes, but he thought it justified and the people who needed to be involved likely to concede that and organize accordingly. However, this wasn't Duane Webber they were planning on killing. It was Vinnie Paul, a menace to society and a target in the mutant community.

Two weeks had passed since Danielle had been retrieved and returned back to the school to heal. Rumor had followed her everywhere and she stuck to her rooms to ride them out, but Vinnie was still at large. One by one, his friends ended up in ditches or construction sites, killed by people Logan knew and without question, since they loved the teenager he did and hated Vinnie Paul with the same passion. They did not like the track record being left by the five mutant imbeciles and were more than happy to comply with what Logan needed, although they had been begging to kill Vinnie and been told not to. The last one though…that was for him and his group alone, whoever wanted to be a part of it. It was to attract too much attention to keep Vinnie alive and Ellis would do anything in his power to either set an example of Vinnie or have him killed himself, the way Logan was seeing it.

When the clock struck three in the morning, the very small assembly entered the deep, cold underground room Logan had reserved for their planning. Roger and Jay, the only people he figured should be involved, entered sleepily, both of them aware that it would be serious if Logan was calling them at the ungodly hour of three in the morning and it being a short time before classes started too. Roger was teaching martial arts still to the older students geared for the X-Men, namely Ororo, Jean and Scott, and did not relish sleepily getting his ass handed to him by three young adults in college.

Logan motioned for the pair to be seated on the other side of the table, much as Alex did some months ago. Then, with a grin as he sat too, he said, "Now, you're probably wondering why I brought you here today."

"Can it, Logan, and get to the point." Jay did not sound pleased with the delay. "I skipped working this night so that I can attend your so-called important security meeting."

Roger, on the other hand, was anxious too, but in a different way. "Anything you need me to do?" he asked, yawning as he did.

"Tell me about Vinnie Paul," Logan ordered, which caused a stir amongst the two before him, Jay most of all.

Startled, Roger pulled a file out of nowhere and tossed it across the table to Logan. "There's much more on the guy than anyone thought, even Teller. Murder, mayhem, rape and plunder seem to be the name of his game. Chief of police, who is old buddies with Ellis, turns a blind eye and destroys evidence each time something comes up for Vinnie because some of it runs along Ellis' plans. Makes me wonder why. It could be that Vinnie is in cahoots with Ellis' camp, more so than we think so."

Logan skimmed through the file quickly, refusing to commit any names, places and dates to memory, and closed it, pushing it in Jay's direction. The elder Mitchell sibling took it and actually read it, his lips becoming thinner and his forehead more wrinkled. It was too easy to say that Jay was furious and in light of recent events would have done anything in his power to ensure that Vinnie suffered worse than his victims.

"What seems to be your game, Logan?" Roger inquired as Jay continued to read. "You asked me this for a reason."

"Teller is more than willing to allow Vinnie back for his job and believes the same about him," Logan revealed, although he promised the bar owner it would not have been repeated beyond their meeting room. He felt the need to though and trusted Jay and Roger enough. "Teller is sure that Vinnie has lined pockets and all of them are from Ellis. He's a spy and in Teller's book, he needs to go."

Jay finally looked up from the file. "When, where and how?"

"Make it just before my wedding and honeymoon please," Roger begged, the tone indicating that something was up. "I'm about to get a positive answer from Mae and I don't want something like this ruining it if done now. Let me propose one last time, detach my balls and put them in her purse and allow her the luxury of peace for now. She doesn't need to know anything and some quiet will stop her bitching, but it'll give me more thrills when I'm drunk and in bed with her."

Logan could have been spared the details, but he agreed. "Late August then, before the start of the term? And nobody else is in the know except us?"

Jay nodded, his facial features turning so cold and his eyes so black that Logan swore that he was the assassin and not Danielle. "For all of the victims, including Danielle, I am more than willing to keep this a secret and allow Vinnie Paul to suffer. He has done more than enough damage and my sister will one of be his last. This time, even without the usual wishes for a dead body, I will say that I hope he suffers more than they ever did in his hands and that his road to mercy will be begged for…many times over."


	51. Unleashed Rage

**August 26, 1994**

The stage had been set and in more ways than one. For four months, from a wet spring to a dry summer, life went on as it always did, but there was an undertone of espionage and secrecy in there too. Logan, Jay and Roger had managed to keep their hush-hush target safe and only in Teller's ears, but that had been difficult too, especially after Roger's wedding date had been set and Mae content to be a bride without dangers on her doorstep. There had been so much going on as well, especially with Ellis riding so high, that they almost had no time to think of Vinnie Paul. He had been accepted back into the mutant community's fold of course and it was a high price he had to pay too. Teller managed it too, restricting privileges even though Vinnie was an employee, making sure he was nowhere in sight when Ellis came and denying alcohol and charging for it too. They happened to be some of the few ways Vinnie knew he was in the shithouse and ones that he did not appreciate.

The complaints were pretty vocal and vicious, causing daily arguments between the two in the upstairs apartment. Although it was a rule that no mutant powers be used, Vinnie pulled a few fast ones on Teller and ones that made Jay weaker when he got Teller out of his past life. It also left the bar owner in a tight corner, suddenly exposed to so many who he used as business contacts or employees. While he was appreciative of being led back to the present moment, he also tried making it out to be nothing. However, Logan knew better. Teller had a bad past and Vinnie was trying his hardest to make him suffer because of it.

Soon, the time would come for revenge and it was going to be a slow night in the meantime. Logan can already see it, drinking in his usual spot. There wasn't as many people around as there used to be, mostly because a lot of them had been too interested in getting into Ellis' camp and seeing about positions, and most are seeing the writing on the walls. Those who are mutants and low on the totem pole that are being used might be tossed aside. Teller and Chameleon had been cautious lately, the former more so than ever before, especially with information passing too. As far as Logan was concerned though, Vinnie was the one telling Ellis everything that would destroy their link to Teller. Roger had been studying the interactions with unease, more so pushing their plan.

The late summer night though…it was perfect with its sluggishness. Nobody was around, Teller had the police turning a blind eye and Ellis did not suspect a thing. Logan heard that the rising political star had dismissed everything Vinnie was passing on anyway (lately, especially when Chameleon pulled a few pranks to prove Vinnie wrong), even though his cousin was trying to check out every accusation and all without success. This would mean that Vinnie would not be missed.

Nervously, Snake Eyes refilled the beer pitcher and passed Logan another glass. When the older mutant eyed it suspiciously, Snake Eyes shrugged his shoulders and pointed behind Logan. He turned around in his chair as the bartender left, seeing Roger approach. The master spy nodded at Logan, taking a seat next to him and liberally pouring beer into the extra glass. Logan returned to his own drink, ignoring the inane chatter around him, although he noted that Roger was being quiet. He knew that Roger was thinking about knocking off Vinnie Paul and had no hesitations about it. However, the way he was sitting, Logan swore that Roger was antsy and just as edgy as Snake Eyes.

"What?" Logan asked softly, almost afraid of the answer.

"Peter Ellis is here," Roger answered back in the same tone, smiling at a woman who passed them from behind. "Vinnie decided to give him a call this morning."

Logan blew out some frustrated air. "Now what?"

"Plans are the same, but with a little twist. Teller is trying to get the younger Ellis out of here. He isn't interested in dealing with an idiot."

"I agree. Heard he was whiny."

"Logan, nobody could doubt Ellis and his worming into power. What makes me wonder is why he would recruit someone like his cousin who hardly did a thing in his life except messing things up."

"Makes me think he wants to destroy his own work or have a scapegoat. I can't decide."

Roger grinned. "Must be. Let me check on Jay. He's going to have the updates."

With a grin, Roger drowned the last of his sorrows and left Logan. It left the older mutant wondering what was happening. They were so careful about their plans. Roger was always invisible and Jay had an eye for everything. Vinnie snitching to the Ellis camp was enough justification to get him killed. Possibly calling over the Ellis cousin was something that made Logan think Vinnie had more up his sleeve than just making the past nightmares become a reality.

Soon enough, Roger came back and sat down. "Peter Ellis is gone," he said proudly. "Teller shooed him away. It seemed to be too much for our bar owner to have too many meetings. He said he only answered to old Leon Ellis anyway. That scared the cousin away."

Logan finished the last of his beer, giving Roger the last of the pitcher. The master spy accepted, taking the extra glass and pouring, even gulping it down quickly. He wiped his lips with his sleeve too, giving Logan a grin that resembled the Cheshire Cat. Hardly feeling the effects of the alcohol, Roger stood up from the stool too, heading one way. This was a sign for Logan to begin too. By this time, Teller would be thinking about a new DJ, something he had been mulling over anyway, and would be telling Snake Eyes that it was time to put in a posting. While this was happening, Jay was leaving his post by the door, locking the bar up for the night until people leave, and telling Vinnie that Peter Ellis wanted him, although the budding politician had left some time ago. By then, it would not take the older Mitchell sibling long to get Vinnie ready to fall into the lie and the spider webs made…

Taking his sweet time while all this happened (half an hour and no more), Logan walked down the hallway after Jay went in, past Teller's usual meeting room and knocked. He then opened a door on the right, a heavy metal one that nobody ever entered unless Teller's unlocked the heavy bolt and allowed entry. He closed it quickly behind him, grinning as he crossed his arms and viewed the scene. Jay was sitting in a metal chair, his mind concentrated on the young mutant hanging from the ceiling by his wrists. The body, still quite alive and shirtless and shoeless and already showing fright through its colored pants, twisted and turned every which way, trying in vain to extract its own revenge, and failing in that, glared in a menacing way when he noted Logan. The older mutant chuckled, happy to see Vinnie Paul so helpless now.

"Like how your women are when you see them?" Logan asked Vinnie. "Without a way to help themselves, tied up and beaten?"

"Fuck you, old man," Vinnie yelled, spitting directly at Logan's face. While most of what came out was blood, Logan was still not so pleased, punching Vinnie in the face, where his nose was previously broken. Blood flowed freely down from it, discoloring it more.

"You think you're so powerful, don't you?" Logan asked as he wiped the offending slime from his face. "Think the world is on your shoulders and they owe you everything?"

Vinnie said nothing, attempting to kick Logan with his tied-together feet. Missing, Logan again punched Vinnie in the face. The adamantium-laced fist made contact with Vinnie's mouth this time, splitting his lips open and knocking out his upper front teeth. Jay even winced at the cracking noises made. However, he knew that he could not back down now. He vowed to not kill another human being since coming back home and to try to live in peace, although home was never that. However, circumstances made him rethink that old promise, especially in the wake of Duane Webber's assassination and now, this. In his mind, Jay figured that Vinnie and Duane deserved everything they got and more. They both hurt his sister in ways unimaginable and that could not be tolerated anymore. Danielle was his little sister. He could not afford to lose her too, after Fiona went missing…

There was a knock. Then, the door suddenly opened again. This time, it was Roger. He shut the door behind him, sure that nobody was at the other end listening, and tossed Jay a file that again came out of nowhere. Logan watched Jay's reactions as he read through the pages. Nodding at the end, he motioned Logan closer. When the older mutant obeyed, listening to Vinnie crackle in hilarity (for what, he could not tell), he took the offending item from Jay's hands and skimmed through it. It was true then, as he saw it. Vinnie Paul was a traitor to the cause for equality. He was telling all secrets to Ellis, fueling the propaganda campaign since 1988. He also was selling Teller out, although Ellis hardly worked against the bar owner. This, in Logan's book, sealed Vinnie's fate, more so than rape and murder.

Logan gave the file back to Jay calmly, facing Vinnie as he spun again. The older mutant was going to be playing a different game now. It would be an excuse they needed to get rid of Vinnie and a good one too. However, it was a dangerous one that he decided on, one that he knew would get the best of his rage. In doing so though, he would essentially be deposing a mutant who was too treacherous and one that would easily bring them down. There was no doubt about it. Vinnie Paul would do anything to get them all killed.

"Ok, let's see if you can remember the past eight years or so," Logan began. "I mean, you're what? Nineteen? Twenty?"

"What does it matter to you?" Vinnie sneered through a whistle-like voice, his bloody grin quite scary to behold, if Logan had to be honest with himself.

"Don't you think being a kid gave you an excuse for some unsound judgement?" Logan paced back and forth as he talked, hands now behind his back. "I mean, being maybe eleven or twelve and running to Ellis wasn't quite a good idea. It's hazardous, if you ask me."

"I would say so too," Roger chimed in.

"Why would a kid want to deal with such scum?" Jay wondered out loud.

"Hmm, such great observations." Logan stopped his pacing and turned to Vinnie. "Makes me wonder what Ellis wanted from you."

Vinnie said nothing. He continued to laugh quietly to himself though.

"Being dictator of this free country?" Roger inquired. "Wiping out the mutants? Making a pure nation, like Hitler tried to? Condemning the weak to camps and ghettos?"

"Making mutants into errand runners?" Jay continued. "Don't you know that stooges are the first to die when one is on the top of the mountain?"

The merriment went on. Vinnie wasn't going to say anything except allow his laughter to be heard. That much was certain. However, a nerve had to be hit. Logan needed something that would again justify their actions. His hands itched to let the claws out, allowing the pain to be felt before they caused another's soul to leave this earth. His rage was shaking its cage bars, begging to be released and to find a way be spent. One word and Logan could emancipate it all. He just needed to go on with the game they started. A few more words maybe and it would soon end.

"And scapegoats are usually the ones who think they can do anything." Logan turned to Vinnie. "I lost count of how many girls have been wounded or killed because of you. Who knows how many after Danielle you had?"

"None," Vinnie promised.

Logan turned back to Roger. The master spy shook his head.

"Try again," Logan said loudly.

"None of your business," Vinnie finally replied. "What's a few girls to you? They're nothing anyway."

"Personally, nothing," Logan admitted. "To you and what truths you tell, everything. If you can tell a simple lie, what would you make think I would believe you?"

Vinnie was still silent. It was infuriating enough, but Logan had to keep calm as long as he could. He could not allow the fury to come out just yet.

"Let's try asking about Ellis," Jay suggested.

"Perhaps a good idea," Roger added.

"I think so too." Logan began pacing again, hands now in the front instead of the back. "Now, Vinnie, you going to tell us about Ellis?"

"Who?" The innocence Vinnie conveyed was hardly truthful and was sarcastic. "Which one?"

"You know who we're referring to," Jay retorted, his temper rising. He grimaced as he used his powers in a torturous manner, something that made Vinnie scream in horror, spinning in circles on the rope.

Logan waited until Jay was finished. He had not expected the older Mitchell sibling to use his powers in such a manner. Such was the name of the game they played, he figured. It had not taken long anyway. Secured and knowing that nobody was able to hear Vinnie, Logan approached the limp younger mutant carefully. He knew that Vinnie would no longer be able to give him nightmares. Jay had ensured everyone of that. However, it was still a shaky situation to stand there before the master of illusions and see him bleeding out slowly. Two hits to the head and Vinnie was probably seeing hallucinations of different things. Certainly, it would account for him to irritate other than despising the three mutants for the mess they put him in.

Vinnie finally stopped spinning, panting heavily and trying to catch his breath. "You won't be able to stop Ellis," he gasped as blood dripped from his aching mouth. "No matter what you do, he's ahead of everyone and will always anticipate your every move. I can say that he's planning on so much and would stop it nothing to kill you all. Some people may be disposable and some may be keepers, but in the end, they're all going to be dead anyway. What does it matter to me, just as long as I have my way and he has his? They're just the same."

Logan had enough. "I think this recess is over," he declared, unleashing his claws.

He did not even see himself move, he was that blind. All Logan could remember afterward were the pools of thick black blood and three large holes were a neck used to be, a head hanging by a few threads. And all around him, two astonished faces stared at him, unwilling to believe that a beast was released and tamed so quickly and that they had allowed it to happen in that manner. However, it was no matter to Jay and Roger. Vinnie Paul was dead.


	52. A Dreamy Twilight

About a week later and before Labor Day, in the back of the large Mitchell property where the fields were open and cleared, Roger Mortimer and Mae Ellis were married and Gil was officially adapted by Roger. Logan could not count the many people in the ceremony itself or those who came. Everyone from the school showed up, people who had a significant other outside the school included, and the many people in Salem Center who loved the two who were now getting married. Although the brother of the bride did not show up (Ellis being tied up in Washington), it was generally a good affair without him anyway and without the additional fuss too. Nothing from the week before even marred it either, although Logan still thought of Vinnie Paul, hanging from the ceiling and then buried without further trouble in the woods of Westchester. Indeed, it was best to forget about him. Most had already, without a though to his whereabouts. Teller even gave out that he left town.

 _All and all, a good occasion…_

Logan's thoughts drifted everywhere, so much so that he did not watch anything, the ring exchange included. He sat in his seat, transfixed upon the twilight skies of the vast lands the Mitchells owned. As the nighttime festivities were just beginning to start and everyone was getting up to congratulate the newly-married couple, Logan finally woke from her reverie. He did not notice that Xavier was sitting next to him. Logan thought that he had Hank with him on the right and Alex and Lorna on the other, seated as they did on the other side of the aisle. It was a nice change to see the Professor though, staying back as he was and appearing amused by the drunken partiers.

"What happened last week?" Xavier asked in a hush.

"A body had to be buried," Logan admitted in the same tone. "It was talking too much."

"I see." Xavier did not sound pleased, although Logan was surprised that Xavier did not use his powers to read through his mind. "How damaging was this…body?"

"Very much so, I'm afraid, Professor. Roger found out that he was selling us out to Ellis. He raped, murdered and tortured many girls and women in the meantime. He would have had us all killed had we not done something."

"And this is also in revenge for Danielle, as she did to Duane Webber?"

Logan could not answer. He only nodded.

"How have we gotten to this?" Xavier then inquired, his voice sounding bitter. "Why have we gotten this far?"

"In war, you have to have peace," Logan pointed out. "Some people need to be sacrificed."

"Danielle did not need to be."

"You can argue that with Jay and Roger on that point. I agree with you. Danielle is just a kid."

"Yet, you encourage it."

"I do the best I can to protect her, even from herself. However, I think she's helping herself these days. I have not seen her in some time."

"I think that's because she's pushing herself to be better. She's had an offer that she could not resist and one that would make her think twice about the path she was on."

Logan saw Xavier's eyes twinkle in a way that he had not seen before. He had to rack his brains as to the cause and finally hit on it. If Jay and Roger had trained Danielle so much and that Xavier was giving her an offer, then she had joined what the students know as the X-Men. While Logan knew of all of the members and had declined to join the group at this point (feeling not a part of the school and nomadic still), he was surprised that the Professor had asked one so young. Then again, he had done the same with Jay and he was much more mature than his younger sister possibly ever will be.

"You think it would help her?" Logan asked Xavier, very anxious that this decision would not tame the younger Mitchell sibling.

"Like Jay?" Xavier appeared in every amused, smiling and resisting a chuckle. "Jay was most certainly like his sister in every way. He paved the way for her, if you want to look at it that way. When he was fourteen and fifteen, he went through a tough time too, especially when we were being assaulted on all sides. He had just found out about their mutual powers the year before. It scared him that there was too much unknown about it, much like now. He went insane with the power that went into his head and it drove him to depression, drinking and temptations. He too ran away from home and was not seen for days, although he survived out in the woods, just as his father taught him to. Roger and Alex found him. Thankfully, he was not used as Death."

Logan calculated the time in his head. Yes, he wasn't really around that time, especially after Apocalypse had kicked up some dirt. Between late 1983 and into 1984, he was roaming around Canada in search of something. At the time, he could not remember what exactly it was he had been looking for. He thought it best that to recall that time was going to be torture, sure that he was mentally not there anyway.

"In the meantime, I believe that it best that Danielle keep her agreement with Teller," Xavier continued, almost sensing Logan's thoughts of the decade before. "She is to be supervised at all times. She is learning herself and being part of a team. She cannot be alone anymore."

"And that's good to hear." Logan peered back at the front. Already, Roger and Mae had cut their cake and were stuffing it in each other's mouths with everyone egging them on.

Xavier put a reassuring hand on Logan's shoulder. "Life is but a journey of self-discovery," he said just as he heard his name being called by the younger students. "Some of us find a way slower than the others."

Soon, Xavier was distracted. Moving away from Logan left the older mutant alone and very much in an awkward situation, he felt. Indeed, Logan waited a few more minutes, hoping to get in line to finally congratulate the new couple and leave, and was soon rewarded with two amorous pairs coming his way – Scott and Jean and Matthew and Ororo. Groaning inwardly, Logan waited patiently as the four gathered around him, talking animatedly and all asking if Logan was joining them in line. Scott even seemed jovial and was even enjoying himself immensely, although Logan thought it temporary. He figured the newly-dubbed Cyclops would be back to his perfectly normal beaming personality soon after this event.

Logan soon noticed that Jean seemed out of sorts, almost like she knew some undertone was underneath the happiness. She glanced back at Logan every so often as the other three picked up where she lacked in feeling. Soon though, after receiving a noncommittal answer from Logan, especially about staying for the late-night partying and dancing, all except Jean left. She told Scott that she would join them in a few minutes, looking at Logan as she said it. Scott shrugged his shoulders, glancing at Logan too. He walked beside the older mutant, perhaps making it as natural as possible, and passed a quick comment.

"Don't touch my girl," Scott whispered rashly, smiling at Jean at the same time he went. He agreed to save her a place in line and left the two in peace.

Jean only grinned thinly. "Finally alone," she remarked.

"I wouldn't say so," Logan replied. "What do you want?"

"I thought it would be nice to warn you, Logan, but I see that words have no weight on you."

"Depends on what they are. How did you get so cryptic?"

"In my line of work, sometimes a good bedside manner is the best way to go about it. You? You need it as subtle as a brick being thrown at your head."

Logan snorted. "What's happening?"

Jean moved in closer, which made Logan a little uncomfortable, and leaned forward to speak softly. "I have not seen destruction in a dream since ten years ago. Last night had been one of the worst since then."

"We have some pretty powerful telepaths in the school other than you," Logan pointed out. "You sure you didn't pick up on something they're thinking or dreaming?"

"Very funny." Jean seemed serious. "Logan, this isn't a joke. This is real. It involves Ellis."

"What about him?" Immediately, the older mutant turned stiff and unfeeling.

"I could not see how it was achieved, but I saw the pathway filled with bodies and broken stone graves," Jean explained, still in a hush. "Ellis made himself a dictator of this country on the lives of this country's people, human and mutant…and there was no way to stop him for years."

"You mean, efforts are made and they're somehow successful?"

"In the end. It will take strength and endurance to push him down. I don't even know how far we've come now and if it'll be enough to stop him now."

"Why are you telling me now and on such a time and place too?"

"Because you'll listen to me, Logan. The Professor, Alex and Hank aren't taking this seriously and I was hoping you would."

"Dismissed as another silly dream, I take it?"

"Of course. However, I am trying to wear down the Professor's resistance. Scott is working on his brother. Once they are satisfied, they would work on Hank seeing it too."

"Holy hell, imagine that. Scott is doing something right."

"Logan! Scott does enough. You just don't see it."

"He couldn't handle being a double agent and feeding false info. He also almost got killed."

"And if it wasn't for you, he would have been drowned. That's the past though. He is part of the future, I would hope."

There was wistfulness in Jean's voice. Logan realized with a start that she truly loved Scott and wished that the two had a future together without the influence of people like Ellis. She was trusting him with something so important, especially in light of saving Scott's life some time ago, that she was willing to admit to a possible ultramodern situation that might not be peaceful. That alone added another piece to the puzzle, Logan saw, and that was another mystery that didn't need to evolve around the Mitchell siblings and Ellis. He would save this for later and keep it as a vow, to make this not just about a family on the verge of collapse all on the whim on a government official.

"You got anything else you want to tell me?" Logan inquired with curiosity.

"Not now," Jean admitted, getting up to a standing position. "Scott is waiting for me. Save a dance for me?"

"If I stay long enough," Logan promised, stretching his legs and standing up too. He cut into the line towards the Mortimer couple and said the usual things, sitting back in his seat as the music started up on a higher volume.

 _I took my love, I took it down.  
Climbed a mountain and I turned around.  
And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills,  
'Til the landslide brought me down._

 _Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love?  
Can the child within my heart rise above?  
And can I sail through the changing ocean tides?  
Can I handle the seasons of my life?_

 _Well, I've been afraid of changing,  
'Cause I've built my life around you.  
But time makes you bolder,  
Even children get older.  
And I'm getting older too…_

"Will you dance with me?"

Logan shook his head. "Huh?"

Danielle stood in front of him, Jay on her right side and Hank on the other side (Logan noticed with glee how uncomfortable they were in their monkey suits). "I asked if you could dance with me, Logan," Danielle stated plainly, not seeming eager about it.

This time, Logan groaned out loud. "Don't you think twice is enough for my lifetime?"

Danielle smiled, but it was quick and seemed clumsy, even for her. "No. And you don't have to."

"Sounds like a change from when you were a kid. I accept."

"You going to watch her for a while?" Hank seemed worried.

"Sure," Logan replied, feeling generous, even to the fuzzball. "Not for long though. I'm heading back out soon. Security waits for no man."

"Lucky for me, no work tonight," Jay muttered, releasing his sister and whispering something in her ear, something Logan actually did not catch. While she laughed, Logan took her arm as the two left and led her to the other dancers.

 _Well, I've been afraid of changing,  
'Cause I've built my life around you.  
But time makes you bolder,  
Even children get older and  
I'm getting older too…  
Oh, I'm getting older too…_

 _Oh, take my love, take it down.  
Oh, climb a mountain and turn around.  
And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills,  
Well the landslide will bring you down, down…_

 _And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills,  
Well, the landslide will bring you down.  
Oh, oh, the landslide will bring you down…_

Logan really started looking at Danielle then, almost like it was the first time. She was fifteen and some months old now, appearing in her early twenties and in every way beautiful and delicate. She had been one of the maids of honor for Mae and wore a light blue dress with thin straps and white fabric roses at the waist. Her hair was done up, naturally curled at the ends of her already wavy and frizzy red hair. She wore no makeup, although she had some sweat line the hairline of her forehead. She even sported satin flats, slipper-like and silver, and she almost floated in them as they held hands. It seemed like magic too, the way the two started with the other couples and almost blended in.

Logan felt an electric shock in his hands that jolted him awake from his dreamy state and saw Danielle grin, leading him instead of the other way around, which was a little difficult at first, but he soon found his footing. So, she was still mischievous and charming. However, there was also something in Danielle's hazel eyes that made Logan think twice too. She wasn't a child anymore and had done too much to turn back now, although Xavier holding her back and helping her learn from the experiences was a start to her maturity. She was in every way dreaming about the future, just like Jean was, and was picturing it another way that expectantly did not see Ellis in it.

It was something Logan could not encourage either, not even in himself, and it was enough to want to slap himself. "Prove it to me," he said to her suddenly, challenging her. This he trusted would deter her fantasies.

"Prove what?" Danielle was coquettish.

"You know what I mean."

"Do I?" This time, Danielle was innocent and it seemed genuine too. "Do I need to read your mind to see what you're talking about?"

"You're smarter than you really show everyone, Danielle. Don't make me force the answer out of you."

"I would claim to be not guilty on this round. Am I seeing you tomorrow night though? Teller has me on."

"If I can get out of a meeting, I will."

"Jean and Storm will be there."

Logan knew this. Xavier organized the three as a musical trio recently and was trying to get Teller to advertise them. It would be easier for more eye candy at the bar than for one youngster on the stage. On the other hand, being turned onto another subject and so quickly was something he did not expect out of the fifteen-year-old. Smart as a whip, he realized, and one he would have to watch more carefully. No, it wasn't just protecting her from the outside forces out of her control and for herself. She had learned more than death out there and was more than ready for his dare, something he could not fall for. He just could not take the bait and go into her pity parties ever again.

The song ended. Logan and Danielle lingered a little longer in each other's arms before releasing the other from the light grip, their eyes meeting briefly before releasing each other. Jay was soon beside his sister, taking her by the shoulder tightly, to lead her the other way. Before she could say farewell to Logan, Danielle blew him a kiss, waving as the two Mitchell siblings got lost in the crowds. It was childish and sweet, but nothing that Logan could take to heart. It was still a puerile crush as far as he could see and it was very harmless.

There was the obvious feeling behind it too and that was worrying Logan. He could not afford to allow himself the easy temptation of falling for a woman, even one as young as Danielle, and the years without having company was taking a steady toll on him, if he had to be honest with himself. As far as everyone was concerned, age excluded, Danielle was an adult in every way and ready for something more than what she has now. The clash was going to be vicious though and something that would hurt him too.

 _No._ And that was final.

* * *

 **Lyrics are from Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide".**


	53. Steady Rain

**May 23, 2023**

The storm tapered off the night before, but soon the weather brought more rain and wind that kept the power out. It was an inconvenience, as far as Xavier was concerned, and an event that even Ororo could not control. However, all and all, it was pleasant to see the students at work or play for once, although they were underfoot and arguing constantly in the interim. He could not count the many times the teachers had to break up the children from one petty disagreement or another. He had to chuckle though. Food fights had been common enough and most of them over relationships out of his league of understanding. Major storms that knocked out the electricity and forced all to interact without a computer? It was more amusing.

Xavier wheeled himself to the living room, eying those in there with a somewhat unbiased glance. Although their thoughts jumbled through his head like spaghetti, he sorted them out and tried piecing together conversations on the physical level instead of a mental, even the groups who were on their own and entertaining themselves. Ororo, Jean and Scott had been trying to get everyone occupied with an old game of Monopoly, something that had not been taken out in some years, obvious by the dust that flew and danced in the wax candlelight. Jax, Jay and Fiona tried taking another group on in Twenty Questions and had a shouting match that ended up in laughter. Hank, Alex and Danielle tempted some others in trying to finish their homework if there was some to be had, until the battery power ran out and lectures began. Even Bobby, Rogue, Kitty and Colossus eased the younger children in a game of Hide and Seek and Tag too, watching out for the furniture and the older decorations in the mansion.

The only person who was missing from the immediate scene was Logan (although Alex was so noticeably thinking about Lorna over in Europe until July). Xavier did not take long to find him. He had been observing the mess from afar, standing in the foyer with his arms crossed. The urge to smoke a cigar was great and the confusion was worse. Xavier hoped to defuse it, silently moving towards the older mutant and seeing the same things he was, except on Logan's left. Mostly, Logan was watching Danielle and his own children intermittently, his gaze on Daken doing some reading, Celeste gossiping over a game of cards and Danielle helping a student with an essay.

"Where are you?" Xavier asked, sure that Logan was thinking about the story he was viewing through new eyes.

"Too many damned weddings," Logan muttered with understanding to the question, twisting his own silver wedding band. It seemed to itch every time he thought about it.

Xavier laughed this time. "That's how a close family works, Logan. People are born, they live and they die."

"Not for most of us, I see."

"Of course. However, this is but a cycle."

"You can tell me it's a cycle all you want, Professor, but I know it as a mess. God, how was it that I fell in love with a psychotic teenager?"

"Because she was foolish enough to take on your challenge and proved you wrong. That took three years, although I must say, you did nothing inappropriate."

"Yeah, kids aren't my thing and still aren't. However, I hate pity parties. She had one for years. How did it all change?"

Xavier displayed a secret and eloquent smile. "That would be my doing."

Logan brooded. The Danielle he always knew, from the time he met her when she was twenty-three, was always mature and responsible, albeit sometimes in hysterics and having a head for getting out of situations if she wasn't so flighty and crying while protecting her children. She acted quickly otherwise, killing with ease and without remorse, and did everything in her power to do the right thing. In the end, when they reached the Chinese monastery and before he went back in time, she had grown so old. She was still reeling from losing Michael and Riley to a hopeless cause, felt guilt for exposing Celeste and Daken to this new age and groaned under the heavy burden of travel, death and destruction.

Oh, how they moved though, from place to place and from riot to riot. They could be part of a New York City parade one day, one that elevated the cause of greed and corruption, and the next in Nova Scotia, where they would lounge on a remote summer home and forgetting that it all existed until their party was crashed by Sentinels. Even from afar, they watched a human group murdered by the thousands and then mutants whipped to death, escaping only with each other and their lives. It was a world in which Logan was glad now was a memory.

However, even with these little changes, Logan saw how the ripple in the water was larger than even he expected. Being a presence in someone's life, especially when it used to be a wish, was a surprise and one that an impact on history itself. He even had years to put up with Scott and that was enough to make his mind reel. Ororo, Jean, Matthew, Mae and even Roger (and hell, the master spy was a sight for sore eyes) were more welcome to see surviving than Cyclops. While it was grating on the nerves, seeing the pieces of the past sewn together made more sense and somehow more difficult to accept. It seemed too much like a dream still and one he expected to wake up from. Logan waited for someone to pinch his arm and tell him that the Sentinels were behind them or that some bounty hunters were up ahead and still saw and heard nothing to the contrary.

Ok, so dealing with a former crazy teenaged assassin was better than battling Sentinels. That much Logan was certain of.

"How different do you think would have been had I not come back?" Logan would have thought events would have played out the same way, although he was also sure that going back would have made it the same, even if Trask was assassinated.

"More problematic," Xavier agreed. "Much the same way you showed me many years before."

"Yes, but I think dealing with the so-called Apocalypse seems like a walk in the park."

"I disagree, although you have a point. However, the future you also dealt with seemed worse."

The two said nothing for a few minutes, waiting for someone to become bored or run past them. None of that happened though, the children and teenagers content in their dealings of games, chatter, homework and paper planes. While Xavier wondered how that came to be, since paper has been scarce in recent years (paper books being the exception and only in public libraries), he still enjoyed the stillness that came with keeping his students so unstructured. Congratulating himself on a schedule that pushed them further than expected, he was nonetheless startled when Hank joined him and Logan. Hank did not seem pleased with himself, wiping his dirty hands on a handkerchief. He was not wearing his customary suit and that stood out, even for Hank.

"No power is expected to be back in town until after the weekend, Monday morning by the earliest," Hank announced quietly, hoping that nobody else except the present company of two heard. "We can't hold the generator much longer either. We might need to just use it for the perishables, which are running low by the way."

Logan groaned. "Are you serious?"

"What?" Hank raised an eyebrow. "Can't deal with the children so crammed up and need Danielle to take the steering wheel?"

"Enough," Xavier warned, sensing a fight. "Hank, salvage what you can with the food. I am sure the supply truck will be here tomorrow, regardless of the power or not, and we can deal with that when it comes. Give a hand when you can, Logan. I'm sure Hank and Alex will eventually need the extra help."

"Right." Logan nodded and crossed his arms.

"I hope it doesn't come down to that," Hank said. "We need Logan, there'll be trouble down below."

Xavier pursed his lips. "That bad?"

"If the power isn't up by Sunday, we'll have more problems than just spoiled food."

"Cerebro?"

"Might be down for some weeks. The power it takes plus yours won't be recovered by the mind alone."

"The Danger Room?"

"I might be able to finagle it with Alex, although even he says he might wait until the power came back on. It's not pretty, Charles. Everything is malfunctioning and will be for some weeks after it's resolved."

"I see."

Logan was about to interject when Celeste arrived, appearing in every way frustrated. There was a black and red mist swirling around her, almost like Danielle's blue and silver, and it made her demonic in a way. It didn't help that her black and red clothing matched, even down to the nails colored black with red glitter. The girl was just as much of a menace as her mother was at that age, Logan decided. It was the same attitude where he originally came from and he knew how to deal with it. It was just a matter of what Celeste wanted and how to appease her at the same time to get her in line.

"Elizabeth Jean Mitchell." Logan kept is arms crossed and his eyebrow raised, inquiring in every way, but also stern.

"Daddy!" Celeste glanced left and right to make sure nobody heard her full name being uttered. She then remembered her manners. "Professor, Mr. McCoy."

"Celeste," Hank greeted warmly, Xavier echoing the sentiment. Then, Hank added to Logan, "I'll leave you to it. I don't envy you."

Chuckling, both Hank and Xavier departed to the living room, leaving Logan and Celeste behind. Logan motioned for his daughter to follow him to the large window, the same he had first seen Danielle (or his alternate past self) many years before. The two sat down, the thickening clouds outside darkening both of their features. Celeste curled up her legs as she made the mist dissipate, the knees up to her chin and her arms wrapped around her knees. What a scene, Logan mused. Celeste, although with Logan's dark hair and with Danielle's red color streaked in a few places, was in every way her mother's daughter, from the arrogance, clothing and powers down. Her hazel eyes even matched, similar to Michael and Riley (or what Logan remembered of them), the same which appeared troubled and confused at life.

Logan put a reassuring arm around Celeste's shoulder. "What's going on?"

"You see, I like this guy," Celeste started.

"What guy?" Logan resisted the temptation of releasing his claws. _Nobody_ was touching his little girl, even if she was almost thirteen and too old to sit in his lap.

"That guy who can play with water when he's in it," Celeste continued, hesitating in every way. She saw Logan's face, which she took to be menacing. "Daddy, I like him. He's the same guy I fought Miss Prissy of Popularity over. You know, the girl who thinks she's all that and a bag of chips."

"Why, I'll –"

"Daddy! Seriously, he's not bad. And I can take care of myself."

"Famous last words. Besides, nobody is good enough for you."

"Oh, like you're not good enough for Mom, right?"

"Your mother is a different story. She was just as difficult as you are now and had her own ups and downs."

Celeste snorted. "Yeah, right."

Logan was about to say how Celeste never understood Danielle's story or how she came to be and soon stopped himself. He did not see the whole story too, although he had been there the whole time supposedly. He just hoped he bullshitted himself enough that even his own daughter did not know what happened. If he recalled correctly, Celeste's powers almost copied Danielle's, with her mind control, energy manipulation and totally annihilation if she put her mind to it, although she also aged slowly like Logan. However, Celeste also did not share powers with a sibling nor did she age like Michael and Riley did or become invisible. Logan could only thank genetics that he and Danielle somehow managed that.

Another shadow cast itself nearby. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Oh, Mom," Celeste groaned, a tone that matched Logan's in many ways. "Can't you go away?"

"I have some business with your father to conduct." Danielle's voice seemed a little off, although it was warm and welcoming for the teenager and that was a change. "It might take the rest of the day."

"I don't need to know." Celeste waved her hands, jumping off of the window seat and out of Logan's arms. "See you at dinner?"

"I would assume so, pending any food fights," Danielle said sarcastically.

Celeste muttered something about mothers and their interfering ways and passed Danielle with a dirty look anyway. Danielle returned it, putting her hands on her hips and watching her daughter join her group of friends, some of which were male. Celeste seemed shy around one of them, a guy who can control water when it was within his range, and she blushed a deep red when he started talking to her. It made Danielle think of earlier times, when Vinnie Paul charmed her and made her forget about her childish crush on Logan. By then, she frowned, deep in thought and in the past. Vinnie had a way to make you forget things, she remembered, and would drive into your desires to try to fulfill them, a false sense of security. Her heart always remained with Logan though, even afterward, and she proved it many times over. However, being punished for remaining different was another story…

Danielle joined Logan, sitting where Celeste previously had been. She sighed deeply, not daring herself to rush into Logan's arms. She feared that it would be too much of a scene, much as Jean and Scott had been (kissing in the hallway was gossip for weeks) and once Matthew and Ororo (holding hands down the stairwell). It was enough to be a teacher and have some of her family around her. Worse was having them around twenty-four/seven, a fact that never escaped her. Ordinary parents had seven or eight hours without their kids and welcomed work as a break. Even again, Danielle thought, they weren't exactly the normal set of parents either.

"Is it that boy again?" Danielle laughed.

"Yeah," Logan replied, not feeling amused. "When did our daughter become as promiscuous as her mother?"

"Hey, watch it. Celeste hasn't gone far down that road too far yet. Besides, I was called Bitch for a reason."

"I don't want her with any guys. She's too young."

"Aww, see? You do care. Now, put your claws away before you scare some of the kids."

Logan had not realized he was fuming enough to allow his claws out. They went back in quickly, his glance on Danielle. "I take it you want the business done upstairs?" he then asked, grinning as he did and wishing that he could skewer the guy whose hands were on Celeste.

"Now, you're getting the drift," Danielle said lightly, pulling Logan up and towards the stairs. "We're not taking too many breaks this time. I am hoping to get to the last turning point and leave it there for a while."


	54. Quite the Cast of Characters

**May 26, 1995**

Quite a lot of things had developed in the year since Vinnie Paul had disappeared, Roger and Mae married and Ellis had drove to the top of the political scale. While the unofficial start of summer had yet to kick off and was hours away, there was always an undercurrent of pure discontent and pressure everywhere. Everyone would have been excited about the Memorial Day festivities. Salem Center was always wonderful in that regard, always patriotic and remembering its own dearly departed, but this year had been different, ever since Ellis had made his way into a department of mutant affairs and made lives a hellish experience thus far.

It started small, as it always did. Ellis had been slow and steady in his climb upward and had recently, as of the previous summer of 1994, gain entry into a government office and left his senate seat behind for his cousin, Peter Ellis, elected last November. Head of the Department of Mutant Affairs, he had been inching closer to gathering more and more information about the mutants. Disregarding privacy laws and finding loopholes in them, Ellis had been authorized to tag every mutant he could find. While Xavier, as well as the rest of the school for that matter, ignored the summons to give out their personal information, papers arrived daily in the mail, for each and every student and teacher, to register their name on the new Mutant Registry. Ellis even managed to capture Magneto and the members of his Brotherhood as they battled his men late the month before, using them as an example of why his strict measures had been put into place. Ellis had yet to link the Brotherhood back to Xavier, although it would be some time before that was threatened too.

After that, it did not take much to convince the House and Senate that they needed to allow mutant information to be public and to call out all mutants who had not put their name to paper. Soon, it was mandatory for Xavier to send out the list of students and teachers in his school, himself included, and that there would be no sanctuary or safety in it. He felt the flames already, each licking the children as his school went to ashes, and soon was conversing with Hank to avoid it. Hank, who had in the meantime received a law degree without managing to get into a classroom (doing all of his work by mail because of his mutation), advised to delay and to find laws to counter the demands Ellis put forth. While Alex (with Lorna), Scott, Jean, Ororo, Roger and even Mae cautioned Xavier into delivering whatever Ellis wanted, Hank alone pushed the Professor to not send anything. There was too much at stake, he reasoned, and anything had to be done to protect the school.

This caused Logan to get nervous too, something he brooded over as he was drinking at Teller's. The school was supposed to be protection for him too, to be away from those who had been hunting him down. Although Stryker had been more interested in preaching on TV still (with a military career in shambles), it was Ellis that had been getting on his nerves. His anonymous life was soon coming to an end. Logan would soon be known as James Howlett, a name he left behind so many years ago, and would soon be known to be over a hundred years and a freak of nature. While he silently agreed with Hank and wished that paperwork would be delayed as much as possible, he would never urge Xavier to do so and would never be his conscience. However, he hoped the Professor did the best he could under the circumstances and put everyone's needs into consideration.

Everyone was suffering too, Logan noticed, and it was not just him that was nervous about Ellis. Because of the new acts against the mutants, which was slowly gaining ground with such an example of Mystique and Magneto before them, people who weren't completely human were not allowed to advance in life. Hank became a lawyer through mailing his work back and forth, knowing that he would be denied, and would not move forward in his education. Jean wanted to become a doctor and managed only to become an RN like Mae, told that her services were not needed and to not bother. Ororo and Scott both managed to get a Bachelor's Degree in Education for only Kindergarten through sixth grade and could not get a Master's Degree, although Xavier still offered them a place to teach. Nightcrawler and Jubilee, who both went out of state for their education, wrote that, as they stood in California, they could not get further than an Associate's Degree in business because of their mutations, which was now tested. Matthew, who had been going in and out of jail because of his peaceful protests for equal rights for all, now was denied entry into any school and could not hold a job because he too was a mutant. With dismay, all noticed he soon became a recluse and was drinking with a commune of mutants outside of Salem Center.

Worse was Mae's son Gil, Logan thought, and that was enough to make him cringe. He had a physical mutation, fish gills on his neck, and had initially been a perfect student at Xavier's with the acceptance, confident and happy, until he was nearly beaten to death on his way home to his mother and Roger just before last Christmas. While in a coma for three months and the events around it casting a pall on the holiday seasons, he too became a hermit after being released from the hospital and refused to leave his room at Mae and Roger's home in the woods of Salem Center, down the road from the Mitchell home. He was soon sending his homework back and forth to the school, starting a side business of repairing computers, which brought him some income for the up and coming technology.

In the meantime, the only person who seemed to be thriving was Jay, the broken man with now a dishonorable discharge from inactive duty and all on Ellis' influence. He remained at his job with Teller six nights a week in the meantime, cautiously playing the bouncer and remaining as quiet as he could when Ellis was conducting business with Teller and Chameleon. He had yet to see his father too, sensing him constantly when he was at work, and could not confront the veteran who left his family and made him a man so early. Instead, Jay played along a fine line, doing Teller's bidding and at the same time gaining less information. Because Ellis had been keeping an eye on the bar when he came back to New York, Jay was unable to inch his way anywhere. He too started drinking heavily again, missing his wife and son more and more and relying less on his sister, who was gaining her own footing and making a new reputation for herself.

For Danielle was not just leaning towards the same lifestyle that Matthew, Jay and Gil had decided on anymore. Instead of becoming the loner like they were, she decided to take advantage of Vinnie's absence (something she suspected to be death) and the adoring fans she already had at Teller's. She became a tough, hard-to-get sort of person, attracting so much drooling attention that even the police chief forgot that she was a fifteen year old and still a minor and would even ask for her a dance. Even though she was that young, her new confidence and attitude brought her either curses or sighs. All had nicknamed her "Bitch", something even Teller picked up on, after too many knives at throats, high heels squishing hands and blinded eyes with thrown drinks.

However, because of the lack of supervision on the adults' part, Xavier made Danielle part of a musical trio with Jean and Ororo (because of their inability to get anywhere in their chosen careers), hitting two birds with one stone with protection and another way to get information versus having certain people in key places. In turn, the three have had more people pay attention to them (something that caused Scott to stew), accessed key bits the men could never receive otherwise (not even Roger) and even gained friends too. Xavier, and even Logan, Alex, Hank Roger and Jay, could not count the many people they managed to get out of Ellis' camp, most of them mutants, and proved to them their doom. It was said that, even with the registration acts, most of them could not and refused to believe that Ellis would go so far.

However, even Ororo, Jean and Danielle could not save them all. Even after the close call with Duane Webber some months before, they had been cautious. Not everyone was so welcome to the idea that Ellis was the bad apple and out to get them. Some who talked politics figured that the former senator would be able to register everyone, not just mutants, and separate everyone into groups. They would know who each other were, they reasoned, and what they could be dealing with. Terrorists and criminals could be pinpointed. Mutants with powers can be in a database somewhere, making them suspects before being pronounced guilty in a court of law. While humans had not been told to register themselves like the mutants, it was said that science was now searching for those who passed on the so-called dreaded X-chromosome and they had been bookmarked. Rumors also said they were going to be ordered by law to never have children, in fear of creating more mutants.

All of those bothered Logan with an intensity he could not understand. He finally turned around in his usual chair at the counter, listening to the ladies sing on stage. He had to admit that Jean, Ororo and Danielle appeared pretty for young adults stuck in the center of devotion, but the limelight was making them just as anxious as he was. He noted Ororo's shadowy glances at the left corners, where Snake Eyes worked the lights and Jay dragged some drunks around. Roger had told Logan that some slumlords that Ellis owned were going to be attending that night as well. Ororo's white hair was going to cause some to turn their heads and perhaps complain to the mutant Teller. For now, at least, the bar owner and his invisible companion were safe.

 _Noises, I play within my head.  
Touch my own skin  
And hope they'll still be there.  
And I think back to when  
My brother and my sister slept.  
In another place,  
The only time I feel safe._

 _You show the lights that  
Stop me turn to stone.  
You shine them when I'm alone.  
And so I tell myself that I'll be strong  
And dreaming when they're gone.  
'Cause they're calling,  
Calling, calling me home,  
Calling, calling, calling home…  
You show the lights that  
Stop me turn to stone.  
You shine them when I'm alone…_

Someone sat next to Logan, someone he recognized and never really met face-to-face until now. Chameleon, who had reappeared suddenly on the stool to Logan's left, took a glass out of nowhere (reminding the older mutant of Roger in some ways) and poured himself some beer from a pitcher liberally, an act that Logan did not appreciate. Other than not asking for something politely, he was annoyed that the Mitchell father dared to show his face near his children, a rash feat that would cause the both of them anguish and pain.

"What do you want?" Logan asked Chameleon as he drank, keeping his claws in. He would not challenge the Vietnam veteran yet, although it would be a fair fight nonetheless.

"Words and sounds," Chameleon answered automatically, wiping the foam from his lips. "I can sense everything else, but I am never to say the words and hear the sounds. Everything is like a dream, surreal and vibrating like a bell."

Logan nodded, sipping too. "Why make yourself known?"

"Oh, I'm not planning on staying long. I figured to say hello to the man protecting my children."

"Like you care anyway."

"I do in my own way. Just because I left doesn't mean I watch them from afar. It's safer that way. An illusion could not be brought back, especially for a little girl who could not defend herself and could not understand what the Vietcong was. I could not allow my children to live in fear. Shannon won't agree to a divorce and I think it made her worse. We agreed it was best I left for good and never come back to the house."

"You did it anyway."

"When nobody was home, yes. I also slipped in when Danielle was there alone, doing her homework. I'm sure she sensed me, but said nothing. It's best that she doesn't know anyway."

"It's best to leave them alone permanently, bub."

"Wolverine, you would never understand. You don't have children. However, you know what care and sacrifice are. Both are parts of my life. I just regret war and life. I regret saving one's life and allowing him to realize his potential and the power he could gain. I think old Phin does too. It's gone too far."

"Back away." Logan seemed adamant about it. "We can protect you."

Chameleon laughed. "In that school of yours? I see it a sanctuary, but never permanent. It will be targeted, Wolverine. It will never be safe again."

"Logan!" Danielle was soon off of the stage and coming towards the pair, Jean and Ororo hiding behind a crowd who cheered them on and forced them drinks. "I need – _oh_."

Chameleon winked at Logan and soon disappeared. This made Danielle jump in fright, her eyes registering that there had been company there and it was most unwelcome to her. However, Logan noted that she recovered quickly and soon was smiling again, although it was forced. So, she had known who Chameleon was and still was scared of him. Well, that could be changed, Logan mused, and perhaps if Chameleon could be told that being with his family was not a crime and he had help for his problems.

"What's up?" Logan patted the seat where Chameleon had just sat at and ordered a Pepsi for Danielle. "You normally don't come around these parts."

Danielle sat down, taking the soda from Snake Eyes with thanks. "Well, Mae and Roger are coming over to Mom's. We're having a BBQ and campout Sunday night. The state said I could stay the extra day and spread time with my mother and Jay. Since Mae is, you know, the sister of a politician, I guess it gave it added credence that I would be ok."

"So?" Logan knew where this was heading and didn't seem pleased, sipping his beer.

" _So_ , I was wondering if you'd be interested in coming. Jean, Scott, Matthew and Storm will be there too. I was hoping that, the more people are there, the more things will appear normal to the state. I need as many witnesses as I can so that, in case something goes wrong, so there's enough people to correct it before we have trouble."

"I understand."

"Besides, Roger just _loves_ you right about now."

"What now?"

Danielle snickered. "I'll let him tell you. I'd spoil a surprise."

"Uh-huh. You gonna drink your soda or what?"

"If it had Jack Daniels in it, I'd be happier."

"Over my dead body. Just be lucky your tab won't be as high as mine and I was pretty generous in getting you something."

"Maybe, maybe not. Thank you all the same." Danielle gulped down the glass in twenty seconds, setting the empty cup down on the counter. "I'll leave my drinking habits to your imagination. So, are you coming or not?"

"I guess so." Logan wasn't in the mood for social activities as of late, but with Jay off the next night, it might be fun, especially seeing them all drunk.

"Four o'clock sound good?"

"Yeah. Just make sure your mother doesn't slap me this time. I'd hate to have a repeat occurrence."

"Sure. She hasn't seen you in a while, so I'm hoping she forgot about it."

"Doubtful, but we can try."

Danielle grinned. "See you Sunday then. Bring your camp gear and some drinks."

Logan watched Danielle leave, blowing him yet another kiss. Teller watched from the corner in the shadows, coming up to the older mutant and refilling his pitcher without being asked. He was amused, Logan noted, and it showed through a silly smile. He too observed the teenager leave and being catcalled, soon wincing when a few of his patrons hit the floor and screamed, a thin shoe heel punching them somewhere.

"She's something, isn't she?" Teller leaned on the counter, chin in his palm.

"I'd say so too," Logan replied, eying the injured parties on the floor. He had to agree this time, no doubt about it. Danielle was turning into quite a character.

* * *

 **Lyrics are from Ellie Goulding's "Lights".**


	55. Weekend Fun

Ensuring that all security at the school meant a long Saturday and an equally long Sunday morning. By two in the afternoon though, Logan was ready to leave. Securing a ride with Roger and Mae, already at the school and returning Gil's homework, meant a longer ride and another vehicle behind them partying before the fun even began. True, Scott, Jean, Matthew and Ororo were joining them in Jean's car, although half of their group had been so somber for a party meant to cheer people up. Worse yet was Roger, driving and grunting each time he had to talk to Logan. Mae nudged him a few times to talk, but the master spy was not budging. His main objective was to get to the Mitchell's place and by God, he was going to get there before he ripped someone's head off.

The truck carrying the three arrived safely enough, although Roger managed to hit every pothole available and on purpose. Logan jumped out of the bed and was soon making his way to the door, his camping gear in hand, when voices called them indirectly from over the hill, melody twisted into the mission. Music was blaring long before four in the afternoon and it was getting stronger. The party had apparently started without them and was going to continue, perhaps well into the night and maybe with the neighbors nearby calling the police too.

Logan wasn't too happy about the prospect, but he relished a good challenge every now and then. This seemed to be one of them, keeping the youngsters out of trouble. Hell, it even seemed that the four who drove behind him, Roger and Mae had started feeling the vibe too. Scott, ever so conservative though, warned Jean about not getting too involved. Ororo and Matthew seemed a little more dangerous than most. Matthew had been drinking more than his fair share and Ororo tried getting him out of that hole, but this seemed too much of an excuse for him to forget his worries and push away the one person who seemed to care the most about him.

Rounding up the hill with the others as they too tossed their camping equipment to one side to put up later, Logan noticed that Shannon, Jay and Danielle had already set out their tents. Jay and Danielle had been dancing around the fire pit with utter ease and pleasurable abandonment as Shannon watched them, her eyes mostly shut against the warm late spring breeze. She did not notice her new guests coming, but Jay and Danielle did, the two motioning all of them along. Jean and Ororo even laughed, joining Jay and Danielle in their dancing around the fire.

 _He came to town like a midwinter storm.  
He rode through the fields, so handsome and strong.  
His eyes was his tools and his smile was his gun,  
But all he had come for was having some fun._

 _If it hadn't been for Cotton-Eye Joe,  
I'd been married a long time ago.  
Where did you come from, where did you go?  
Where did you come from, Cotton-Eye Joe?_

Although the song had been released recently to dance floors and bars across the country, Logan remembered the lyrics from a faraway time and place. It had been the old American South, maybe sometime after the Civil War. He had been camping out someplace in the woods, hoping to be alone for a few days and away from his brother, and had heard some former slaves sing it, although they had hardly gained their freedom just yet and would not for years to come. He could not understand this new version, finding a seat as far away from Shannon and this music as he could without being rude. He did not want to start another fight with her despite the years apart from the last one, although God knew what her issues are with him, and hoped none will come up.

Roger soon to sit down next to Logan, two cold bottles of beer in his hands. He handed one to Logan wordlessly still, his face still expressed in more annoyance and less anger this time. "Did you hear the news from town last weekend?" he asked in a low tone.

"No," Logan replied. "Been so busy with everything else in the school that I didn't bother with the town gossip. What now? Did one of the bakers have an explosion in his oven again?"

"If only it were that simple." Roger took out a cigarette to smoke, allowing Logan the ease to do the same with his cigar. "It wasn't too big in the way of news, but word got around in Salem Center nonetheless. Ellis tried keeping it quiet."

"Spit it out, Roger. I've got no time for games, especially yours."

"Vinnie Paul's body has been found."

Logan swore he did not hear that right. "Say again?"

"I said that Vinnie has been found." Roger's face soon turned to black rage. "We buried that body good and deep and far away from the Ellis camp. Hell, we even went as far as trying to put acid on the sucker and burned him good."

Recalling that night, Logan shuddered. "What's the story?"

"Many faces to it and only one truth." Roger grinned grimly. "Ellis let out that a body had been found and soon tried to shush it, but rumors had gotten ahead of him. What happened was, a little bird could not be invisible and was cornered and almost plucked dead had he not said something. And let me tell you, it was not Teller."

"Chameleon." Logan felt the same fury Roger was now. Now, he understood why the spy had been so angry.

"Right. Ellis figured it had something to do with him and immediately called his minions to his office in Salem Center. Teller was conveniently out of his own office, but Ellis had enough men to find Chameleon. It did not take long either. They raided that bar, destroying Teller's upstairs apartment and finding no trace of him. Later, they found him lying in a hospital bed, suffering from a heart murmur."

Logan nodded. He had heard something like that from Snake Eyes almost a week ago. Teller had smiled when asked about it the night before, almost denying the existence and pretending that he was well and happy in his place of residence and business. The toll was taking its effect though, the way Teller was aging, and Logan hoped that their one contact wasn't going to die on them anytime soon.

"Anyway, Ellis was pissed off to the point where even he might have needed a trip to the emergency room himself," Roger continued, eying the younger mutants with caution. Mae was supervising them with Shannon's new half-hearted efforts, but her glance was on him every so often. "His forehead burst a vein, from what my men have told me. Anyway, Logan, the man was furious. He demanded the world from Chameleon, shouted that he needed to know every move made by you, me and everyone else's mother, father, brother and sister. Chameleon managed to get a little uttered. He said that all he knew was that the body was that of Vinnie Paul and good riddance to him."

"And?"

"And the story goes on, Logan. Ellis ordered his men to the shit beaten out of Chameleon. It didn't really happen, the man was combat trained, but it left him and Ellis staring at each other for long minutes. Afterward, it wasn't mattering anymore. Ellis had eliminated one mutant, although it was indirectly his fault it happened, and he considered it a done deal. However, the police are not satisfied. They need some evidence about the crime. Ellis called it a closed case. He ordered everything to be buried and the body to be cast into the local cemetery's pauper graveside. Vinnie Paul is no more than John Doe number five-five-four-zero. This time, I agree with Ellis. He was better off dead."

"Agreed." Logan stopped paying attention to Roger and watched the scene before him with amusement. Practically everyone was drinking or already drunk, around the fire and talking in animated voices. Logan even swore that Ororo and Jean were just as plastered, away from their professional lives and relaxing in ways he didn't realize they could.

Mae soon joined Logan and Roger, sitting down with a frown. "Anyone watching the tents?" she asked tentatively. "That wind is picking up."

"Wrong direction." Logan put out his cigar underneath his heel. "We'll be ok."

"I hope so," Mae inputted, glancing at Logan in the same way she had when she lectured him about allowing young people to be corrupted. "Anyone thinking to cut the alcohol short?"

"Naw," Roger replied, laughing as he took out a camera and extra film from a pants pocket. "It's too funny this way. Blackmail all the way!"

"Oh, you're impossible!" Mae slapped Roger's shoulder and was soon reaching for her cigarettes too. "You both are."

"What? I did nothing…yet." Logan continued onto another cigar and was soon getting up, making his way to the group before the flames and tapping Danielle on her shoulder from behind.

Danielle turned around, surprised. "Logan?"

"This time, I'm asking," Logan said, moving the cigar to one side to be polite. "Dance?"

Danielle had a drink in her hand (and from what Logan could smell, it was Jack Daniels) and put it down next to her chair. "I'd be delighted," she replied, sounding pleasantly happy to be requested. Although Jay appeared in every way annoyed, Logan did not care. He felt pretty brave and felt the challenge he gave Danielle wasn't going to affect the inquiry.

 _There's something in the way she moves,  
Or looks my way or calls my name,  
That seems to leave this troubled world behind.  
If I'm feeling down and blue  
Or troubled by some foolish game,  
She always seems to make me change my mind._

 _And I feel fine anytime she's around me now.  
She's around me now, almost all the time.  
And if I'm well, you can tell she's been with me now.  
She's been with me now quite a long, long time and I feel fine._

 _Every now and then the things I lean on lose their meaning.  
And I find myself careening in places where I should not let me go.  
She has the power to go where no one else can find me,  
Yes, and silently remind me the happiness  
And the good times that I know, but as I had got to know them…_

"Any particular reason why you're here and not with the others relaxing?" Danielle had to know since it did not seem like Logan to join them. She wasn't going to peek into his mind. If he didn't have healing abilities, she would have thought him drunk and silly.

"With you? Just seeing to a pretty lady." Logan's response seemed flawless and a compliment anyway.

"Honestly though?"

"I wanted to get away from Mae."

Danielle laughed. "And my mother?"

"I'm hoping she doesn't slap me this time." Logan glanced at the sleepy Shannon warily. His alarm was soon dissipated though, since Shannon was soon snoring through the merriment.

"We'll see." Danielle grinned, soon parting from Logan when the song ended. Another upbeat tune raised in volume and soon everyone was joining in on the dancing.

 _Hey, tonight,  
Gonna be tonight.  
Don't you know I'm flyin'  
Tonight, tonight?_

 _Hey, come on,  
Gonna chase tomorrow,  
Tonight, tonight…_

The next thing Logan remembered, everyone was switching up partners and laughing. He soon had to throw his cigar into the fire (it was almost done anyway) and immediately was paired up with Ororo, her white hair freed from its usual restraints, and then Jean, taken away again by a scowling Scott. Mae was soon next to him and then it was Shannon, who had woken up from her slumber and taken Logan's lead. Although older in many ways, Shannon eyed Logan with caution too as they swayed, like she was aware of what happened at their last meeting and how embarrassing it was. Her dark brown hair was almost grey, her blue eyes tinged with the same color of old. The worry lined etched on her face announced a woman more into her sixties than her forties. She even moved in pain, each measure causing her to wince.

"I didn't expect you here," Logan admitted, finding a way to cut out of the pirouetting. When he did, he led Shannon back to her seat and sat down at the empty chair on her left.

"Me neither," Shannon admitted as the fire illuminated her features, stars now twinkling above her head. What she meant by it, Logan could not tell, but she was watching the carousing with eagerness and longing on her face. "It seemed like Danielle and Jay finally have a way to let go."

Logan held his tongue back about parenting styles. "It sure feels like a good time."

"You're good to my daughter."

"I try to be good to everyone."

"However, I see that not everyone likes you. You mark impressions everywhere you go."

"I never cared about that. I am who I am and sometimes, that's not pretty."

"I guess this is why people rely and fear you at the same time." Shannon turned to Logan, her voice almost down to a whisper. "I need you to promise me something, Logan. Promise me this and maybe I'll go to my grave in peace."

The way Shannon talked of death made Logan shudder, chalking it up as part of her mutation. "I can do the best I can."

"Promise me you'll take care of Danielle. Make sure she stays out of trouble. Jay isn't going to be here forever and neither is Charles. _Please_ , Logan. At least humor me this."

Logan only had to see Danielle, twirling with Jean and Ororo, their arms entwined in laughter and friendship. "Anything I can do, I will," he vowed. "I've been doing for this close to ten years now. It'll never be easy, but rest assure, your daughter will be safe."

Shannon nodded. "I don't see her death or yours, to be honest…at least not right now. I see Jay dying in his bed though, safe and with his small family around him. He's so old, content in the future. Right now though, the future doesn't look so bright, especially for him, Jax, Danielle and everyone who happens to be a mutant. There's a dark spot in the sun and that is soon going to be eclipsed."

Logan could not agree more, although Shannon's assessment of Jay seems too far off. However, he hoped that Shannon was wrong and Ellis would be stopped, if that was what she was referring to. Xavier had mentioned that she saw death everywhere and always viewed loneliness and helplessness as the norms of life, something that might added fuel to her depression. What she said spoke volumes, not just her opinion, but also the future everyone might have. Logan had a feeling that Shannon not only saw death. She also saw destruction, pain and suffering, picking up on it just as Jean could. She never figured there was a way out. There was always the darkness for the world and never a light to be picked up.

Musing this, Logan picked up his smoking, starting another cigar as the night turned darker around them. Although the stars seemed bright, a moon hung overhead, thin and forbidding. Music drifted upward still, hoots of wilderness surrounding them in the warmth they created and yells of the young making the memory too endearing. A harsher breeze even drifted towards them, again away from the tents, just as Logan predicted. However, the hours passed quickly afterward and everyone was inching towards their tents, some pitching and others crawling inside. Logan and Shannon had remained in the same spots as before, transfixed upon the events before them like they were the outsiders. Logan soon sighed, turning to Shannon at long last and wishing that he did not have to say the words he had to.

"We might not have a choice," Logan said quietly, watching the passing drunks carefully before continuing. "Things are spiraling out of our control and we would soon be playing fiddle to the music maker who would rather see us death than alive. Eclipses pass though, Shannon. They bring new life and optimism. It might not be bright now, but it will be. I can promise you that now."

* * *

 **Above lyrics are (in order of appearance) James Taylor's "Something in the Way She Moves" and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Hey, Tonight".**


	56. Very Shaky Futures for Graduates

Logan thought he could not take another celebration. That weekend at the Mitchell farmhouse, which had lasted until Tuesday morning (and another night of drunken revelry with the younger crowd later), seemed to last a lifetime with the partying everyone had. He totally forgot that the second Friday in June, five days after Danielle's sixteenth birthday, was graduation night. Sorting through the hazy memories of the time he spent camping, hiking and fooling with the drunks (Roger and Mae included), he instead focused on making this year, much like the previous years, safe and without the public eye on the mutant school. Although Salem Center always published the list of graduates without fail, he was not keen on allowing it this year, Ellis being the top reason why. However, Xavier and Hank won this round, allowing twenty names to be shown with pride and without shame in the local paper.

That alone made Logan nervous, even as he was preparing the stage in the downstairs gym for the ceremony. That Friday morning, some hours before the evening ritual and before more drunken stupidity ensured (Logan was sure about that), allowed him some quiet, although it was short-lived. He did not realize that most of the graduating class, pumped up on the adrenaline for the night's event (and perhaps getting ahead of themselves with the drinking), managed to get into the gym without him knowing…and managed to throw toilet paper all over the whole room. Logan groaned when he saw it, climbing down from a ladder behind the stage, and was starting to pull some of the inappropriate decorations down when Alex entered, snickering as he did.

"What?" Logan demanded in a growl, irritated that he missed this. He suspected mutant powers in play, but that was beside the point.

"Happen to know who the pranksters are yet?" Alex tried hard to keep from chuckling. He hardly could not understand why Logan managed to miss this, pulling some of the light paper off the walls and those within his reach.

"Not yet. After tonight, it won't matter."

"No, you're right. What does it matter? They'll just go out and terrorize the town anyway."

"Or whatever places they manage to settle in, if they are accepted. I hear Salem Center isn't the safest place in the world these days."

"Neither is anywhere else in this country."

Logan glanced at Alex and saw the seriousness on his face. "Any word?"

"Well, Jubilee mentioned something curious in another letter to the Professor," Alex allowed. "It seems California is being pressured into setting up a…umm, _detention_ center for mutants. It seems to be the first of its kind since World War II, since it is the most liberal state and would need to be forced into action."

Logan suddenly felt cold, continuing his work as he processed this new information. "What?" He could not understand what Alex was saying.

"It's a shaky future that these graduates are now facing," Alex continued. "It might not _be_ much of a future, to be honest with you, Logan. Washington is now demanding the detainment of mutants, if they can be nabbed. The president and Congress are now ordering California, the first state, to test out the new camps. They are figuring that, since most are proving to be threats to society, we should be isolated and perhaps tamed."

"In what way?"

"Science has a way to making everyone the same."

"Some sort of a cure?"

"If you want to put it that way, yes, it is some sort of cure from the mutant gene. I call it bullshit, but it's serious on their end. These people think that science can manipulate plain genetics and somehow transform back into humans without the mutations that make us unique. Lorna is down in DC, checking it out."

"I was wondering where she had been."

"Mum's the word, Logan. Not too many people know why she went down to the capital. The official word has been it's been a test trip, to see if there's a good deal for the older students. It might be a decent idea had there not been such hatred towards mutants."

"I don't agree, especially now. From what I see and hear, we might not be able to even allow these kids to leave the premises for some time."

"I think Charles should give in to Ellis' demands and yes, keep these students here for safety. Ellis is a government official, not just a senator now, and he has the power to force us to submission. Millions are registered and it's stored in files and databases. We might not have a choice anymore. Best to allow ourselves to humor than to face a battle on our doorsteps."

"Happen to have an insider's view?"

Alex grinned. "I have a few sources in key places. They might not be there for long though."

Logan stopped working, turning around to face Alex this time. Worried, he asked, "How many people know of these camps?"

"It's not well known now," Alex admitted. "Ellis has been trying to keep it quiet, much as he closed the Vinnie Paul investigation, and might sweep it under the rug until he has time to show his hand." He looked to Logan, expecting an explanation about that particular case.

Waving a dismissive hand, Logan managed to calm his racing mind, one that already seeing the implications of Ellis putting mutants away. "We might have time then. When is California supposed to be making the time to set up these camps?"

"End of the next year," Alex confirmed. "They are working towards setting up the land, perhaps someplace in the middle of nowhere, and testing out a few subjects. I've heard of it before. Then, they'll work on the hiring people for the digging and building. Afterward…" He waved a hand, knowing of the aftermath of those events.

"I've seen this before too," Logan volunteered, unwilling to remember the events in what was known as World War II. "The Nazis did it too, not just us. They put their toe in the water and soon explained to a nation full of their undesirables that there could be worse. There _was_ worse, Alex."

"And more than you and I will ever see, I would hope." Alex nodded. "It'll surely be slow and torturous, Logan, but so were we in this quest. We started late, we moved in the same speed and did not get help until recently, which was almost too late. I'm glad Teller is on our side, but that would burn him soon. He's been seen as the rebel by the Ellis. It won't be long before Ellis sees this and destroys him and Chameleon for good. I can see it now."

"When do you think?" Logan concluded as much and could not see how and when Ellis would end his relationship with the mutants who had done his dirty work for years.

"I can't tell." Alex seemed frustrated by that. "Ellis seems to like toying with all of his contacts. He has been using more mutants than just Teller and Chameleon though, that much I can tell you. However, none of them have lasted as long as those two. They've all disappeared, Logan. Nobody has the whereabouts of about two hundred and fifty-two mutants, all of them who worked under Ellis and his family. Cases are cold and have been long closed, which makes your theory about the added property plausible. The last of them was maybe a year ago though. Some officer got close to the end, but was told to back away by his superiors. It makes me think that the same will happen to Teller and Chameleon, although I could care less about the Mitchell kids' father."

"Maybe we can use him too," Logan started, thinking of his last conversation with Chameleon. He stopped when he peered over Alex's shoulder and saw Jean behind him. Alex also turned around and smiled.

"Jean," Alex greeted warmly to the person who was aiming to be his sister-in-law, according to Scott. "How are things?"

"Fine, thank you." Jean tipped her head to one side, studying the situation with some amusement. While she was officially a school nurse like Mae, Jean was always around the mansion cleaning up messes like the one Logan had on his hands. "I was hoping to see the gym before the graduates came in, but I see that the seniors got ahead of me."

"Logan too." Alex waved his hand around to demonstrate the mess that was made. "Are you planning on staying here?"

Jean nodded. "I have some other things to do down here too. Later though, when we have some time."

Alex knew this too. Jean was a part of the X-Men, and for some time now too, and was planning on training with Scott and Ororo. As one of the newest (and not quite the youngest), Jean had a responsibility not just to those in the school who had been hurt, but to those who had vowed to keep the world a safer place. While this only included Hank, Alex, Lorna, Scott, Jay, Danielle, Ororo, herself and the odd teacher or two for now (some of them part time and others less involved), there would soon be others with the same goals and aims. For now, Alex was sure she, Scott and Ororo would be content giving each other bruises for now. The others were trained enough.

"I'll leave you to it then." Alex pulled another strand of toilet paper, trying his hardest again not to snicker, and left Logan and Jean.

Jean straightened out her body, moving to tear down the offending streamers before the night's most anticipated event. Logan stopped her for a second, his hand touching her arm, and felt the same electric shock run up his body. It was a warning, Logan knew, and one that told him that people were watching. When he tuned into his senses, he pinpointed Scott down the hallway, Jay in the opposite direction and another presence he had not smelled in a long time, Nightcrawler. They were being observed in some manner or another. Jean did not want an emotional and deep conversation with Logan, making it clearer through the gaze of annoyance on her face.

Logan backed away immediately, back to his task. "You think many of these graduates would stay?" he asked Jean, his back turned against her. "I'm sure none of them would be happy to see a different world out there."

"There's the community college," Jean replied. "There's an atmosphere they would like there."

"Even if none of them would achieve their degrees?"

Jean stiffened. "Yes. It might help a little. We are always here to lend a hand though. We can take anyone back in if they can contribute in some fashion."

"Of course. Anyone planning on joining my end of things? I think I can squeeze in a few more people."

"You mean, you need an apprentice, as they call it?"

"I guess so. I can't take this on my own anymore and the school needs some more people to watch out for it. We need more eyes."

"In this case, I would suggest talking to the Professor. Before the summer is out, most of these people would be gone. If you mean to take someone on, the Professor might be able to make some inquiries before they find out the hard way what the world is like."

"Thank you, Jean."

The two soon were back to work, cleaning out the gym in no time. By the appointed hour of the last rehearsal at around three-thirty in the afternoon, they both were able to take a back seat down the farthest row and watch the twenty graduating students practice their speeches and receive their imaginary diplomas, all with Xavier and Hank instructing them strictly at every turn. At around five-thirty, a half hour before the ceremony was supposed to begin, Hank released them to get dressed in their caps and gowns. By then though, a small crowd was starting to gather, most of them family members that cared, friends in the school still, teachers and the occasional alumni. Jean and Logan soon stood up and found seats with the others, joining Scott and Ororo some rows up.

At six, with the usual _Pomp and Circumstance_ in the background (as well as many other pop songs they wanted in the program), twenty students again came to the gym, steeling themselves against flashing cameras and waving admirers, be it friends, teachers or family. After two hours of the slow-paced show they were expected to put on, Hank and Xavier finally announced that they would receive their certificates. One by one, each of the twenty were called and given their handshake and diploma, each cheered on and congratulated. One by one, Logan watched them all, Danielle included, and wondered what would happen to all of them. His eyes were trained for danger, his mind whirling with all of the possibilities. All of those kids up there, all of them not even twenty years old yet, now had the added stigma of being singled out, all because they were mutants. All of them, happy in the knowledge that they were over the hurdle called high school, now had to battle a world who hated them and would rather see them dead.

Logan closed his eyes, thinking. This grand occasion was turning into a nightmare. Now, no matter where he would turn, he would see the negative in the beauty. No longer could he see these students as people who would develop in the world outside the school. Now, he would only see them as prey…and he would no longer be able to protect most of them anymore.

* * *

 **I apologize that I totally forgot to credit a song from the previous chapter - "Cotton-Eyed Joe" by Rednex. The song came out about the same time the chapter took place (late spring of 1994) and was a very popular dance song (as well as song back in the 1860s). At this point in the story though, things are winding down. I am aiming for 14 more chapters before this story's end. Thank you to all who have been reading!**


	57. Courageous Sadness

**September 5, 1995**

Danielle glanced around her new surroundings after she was dropped off by the town bus, unsure of what to think or do. It was her first real day in college on this rainy day, the beginning of a new week and the start of her new life as a student. She had her new schoolbooks and some paper, wrapped up neatly in plastic bags and secured in a backpack. Supplies lined the other pockets too, dripping water and begging to be dried. Danielle even felt like a wet dog without an owner too, misplaced and uncertain of where to go and how to fit in when the world did not want her.

Around her, other confident students with umbrellas walked past her, shaking their heads free of water, checking their homework before it got wet or even chatting amicably with others. The rain did not stop them as it did to Danielle. Indeed, all of them seemed indifferent, all compared to her feelings and the sense of this new place that, like many others, did not like mutants and did not seem keen on welcoming more of them. The only reason why they did not deny eighteen more eager applicants from Xavier's school was because it was still against the law to. That much Danielle knew already.

Finally, realizing that her first class would start in ten minutes, Danielle finally started moving. According to her map of the community college, Salem Center's only, the Oswald Building would house her classes for math, the first of the morning. She hurried along, soon feeling hard objects hit her from behind. She clenched the straps of her backpack, urging herself to move and to not use her powers. She knew what it was about. The college had demanded to know if she was human or mutant and she had to tell the truth. Targeted with the others who graduated with her or before her, she had to endure the ridicule from those who were not like her. It was the first time she had to admit she had powers to those who did not understand not did not care to and that spread like wildfire. Everyone knew her for who she was.

"Mutant freak!"

"Fuckin' whore!"

" _Bitch_!"

They were but names, Danielle reasoned as she neared the building for her math class. After all, she had endured worse the past summer. The June graduation did not end her struggles. To be honest, it was sorrier. She managed to get more mutants out of Ellis' control with Jean and Ororo's help behind her. However, it was never enough. Teller could tell her all she wanted that things were great and that people loved her enough or protect her. Jay could be there all he wanted, the older protective brother that he was, and reassure her that she was no longer a child and could ignore Child Protective Services (since they were now off her case and considered her an adult). Ororo and Jean could smile and tell her that her efforts were the best she had and that it was great. However, none of those words meant much to her. No, not even when there was a country that hated her kind and eyed her mutations as an affront to humanity.

Danielle kept herself busy otherwise. She took several part time jobs, one of them at the mall clothing store where nobody would ask her if she was a human or mutant, and kept to herself. Her manager paid her well, even added in some incentive, and asked her to apply again when she was back on vacation. Another was tutoring students with Xavier during the stiff summer weeks, finding her aptitude with music and wishing to head that department, something she actually wanted to do. Of course, there was also Teller and taking care of her mother, but those had cost the most and had made her insane inside. She held onto that one thread of hope though, the one that Xavier taught her to keep in what seemed like a long time ago. The world may be crumbling around her, but there would always be that feeling that all would be well.

It might not be with the political situation. Danielle knew the rising influence of Ellis and how much control he gained in the summer days. It was a matter of time before he made his next move, she calculated, and one that would overthrow everything she knew to be dear. She and Jay, along with Logan, Alex, Hank, Scott, Jean and Ororo, predicted that Ellis might be making his ultimate decision soon, before the new millennium turned. It might be sooner rather than later, since the three powers in DC (executive, legislative and even judiciary) are working up a group to go against him. Although none could be as organized as they are, Ellis still had enough resources to push them back. Being head of mutant affairs and initiating laws in Congress was only the beginning, especially with so many people backing him. Ruling the country was his goal.

In the meantime, as the other professors and students stared at her in contempt and curiosity, she would hold her head high and ignore it. Even entering the building was not as bad as Danielle thought, although the insults continued and things were still thrown at her. The hallways were quieter and the atmosphere was more professional anyway. She walked past each classroom carefully, searching for the one she needed to be in, and ended up going up a stairwell and finding it on the first doorway on the right. She found the reception the same – cold and very unwelcoming – and found a seat in the back. She then put her backpack down and opened it, the water rolling down and forming into puddles against the brick wall, and found her books and some paper. As she placed it on her desk though, she found a note there instead.

The intent had been to ridicule and it was very infantile of course. It was a very quick and unforgiving caricature, showing her in a compromising position, soon in the throes of death by stabbing, and the words promised a slow and painful death. Outraged and close to tears (especially since no one knew of her mutations), Danielle immediately crumbled the paper up into a ball and threw it into her backpack. She put her supplies for the class there instead, watching with determination as her new teacher came in. She did not appear to be giving a hospitable reception too, Danielle sensed, and seemed ruffled that she had to teach more mutants. Putting her head down lower and wishing to literally disappear, she listened as the professor introduced herself, set out the rules of her classroom and swear that she will severely punish any mutants who use their powers during her teaching time.

Danielle tried her best to tune out the bad and accept the good, just as Xavier taught her to do in these situations. However, that was becoming a challenge itself as her new teacher droned on about the mutants and how, in a mathematical sense, they could be wiped out and with a simple equation too. However, she would get into that in December, when they were close to their finals. For now, she was hardly content in teaching simple calculus and determined to get to her theory soon enough.

Sighing, Danielle put her head down, writing as she listened. _This is going to be a long day._

~00~

It was early in the evening. Although she did not dare take the bus home yet, since her mother was bound to ask questions she did not want to answer, Danielle decided to go back to the mansion. She still had her room there with Ororo and Jean and felt it more comforting than the cold walls she had to deal with now. Xavier did not mind her presence and even encouraged it, adding that she would always have a home and people to talk to. However, the last thing Danielle also needed was someone there to ask how her day went. It was horrible, each class worse than the last, and the teasing the worst. She could endure that much, if only to get some sort of degree in teaching and music theory, but it could only go for so far. She was willing to quit, to give some time before trying again, but it wasn't going to fly with many people, Xavier most of all.

Indeed, it might be best to get used to the situation, although Danielle was loath to. This time, she would need to handle this alone and not give it a team effort.

It was around dinnertime that the bus dropped her off near the mansion. Danielle walked the rest of the way, passing Matthew and Ororo entwined in each other's arms happily, although she swore her cousin was everything but that and that his companion was just satisfied that he was not drunk. She even passed Logan and Roger, although the two had been too busy with their conversation about the school that they hardly noticed Danielle, something she enjoyed, if she had to be honest with herself. It was more interesting to listen to them anyway, talking about how Ellis had been publically denouncing the school and claiming it to be a military institution for mutants who want to rule the world. It was a new development and one Xavier was worried about, she overheard, but that was the extent of her knowledge. The two were too far away and her presence, physically or in their minds, would raise eyebrows soon enough and it wouldn't be from those two either.

Danielle hooked a right and went straight into the woods. During the summertime days she had to herself, she managed to hide there often, enjoying swimming in the stream and hanging out with friends, although Scott had been annoying to deal with and Logan, well…eying her with interest, like he was waiting for her to ascertain everything. No matter now, she thought. The dark quiet and stillness was enough for her, especially after the day she had. She could communicate with Jay and her mother later. Being by herself was imperative.

The crickets sung a song alone and the leaves rustled gently. This relaxed Danielle almost instantly. She did not shed her school things off, waiting until she got to the clearing and piling them next to the tree she climbed a million times before. Then, she sat by the water's edge, feeling the coolness from the morning underneath her shoes. Breathing in deeply, Danielle felt encased in a bubble of soil, water and late summer leaves. At least they did not care that she was a mutant, she mused. They only care about the seasons and even that was changing too.

Soon though, Danielle's alone time was interrupted as an urgent tone filled her mind. _Danielle, it's Jean. Where are you?_

 _I'm in the woods._ Danielle was unhappy, feeling her body tense up. _What do you want?_

 _Your mother called the school. The last bus from the college did not drop you off._

 _I didn't want to go home. Not yet anyway. I want to be here and then walk to another city bus stop and take it home._

Jean sighed, frustrated. _Let me find you. I need to talk to you anyway._

 _Wait, Jean, no –_

The connection was cut. Danielle felt she had no choice then, waiting anxiously for her friend, a school nurse and confidant to many, to arrive and lecture her about being timely and letting people know where she was. She found a log nearby and sunk down on it instead of the cold ground, her hands rubbing her tired eyes. She then let them fall to her lap, waiting for Jean to come by. It didn't take long, Danielle noticed. Jean was soon next to her, sitting to her right, and not saying anything until she enveloped Danielle in a side embrace. Danielle returned the gesture, unsure of what to say, although she knew that her emotions could be felt by Jean nonetheless.

"How was it?" Jean asked, knowing the answer.

"Horrible," Danielle admitted. "You have no idea how worse it got."

"I have some idea."

"Apparently, there is a mathematical way mutants can't exist and can be eliminated."

Jean stiffened. "I've heard that."

"It made me see what I can do in the future."

"Oh? Have you decided yet?"

"I want to head the music department here. I want to teach music theory. I feel that it's a huge part of my life."

Jean nodded in understanding. "There's going to be so much in-between here and there, Danielle. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"I see the good in a new generation of teachers who acknowledge tolerance, understanding and differences in everyone," Danielle explained. "I might not be able to achieve it now or in a few years' time, but at least I can start. I need a starting point and remember that there's a finish line this time, only with higher stakes and more hurdles."

Again, Jean nodded, the hug tightening. "You can try your hardest. However, I think there's more hurdles in that race than just the discrimination we face, the politics that rule us and the people who mock us. You need to look a little closer and to the one person you seem to love."

Danielle was amazed, turning to face Jean. "How did you know?"

"I thought it was a childish crush, just like everyone else," Jean replied, thinking of Logan and how Danielle's heart was going to break. "I thought you got over Logan when Jay came home from the Middle East and I hoped that you would find someone else. I am beginning to think there was someone local who liked you before Vinnie Paul."

"Yeah, _no_ ," Danielle said, laughing.

"Well, Vinnie was Vinnie and that relationship ended," Jean continued, feeling awkward. "It isn't unnoticeable, Danielle, but I think Logan got the hint."

"He challenged me to prove it," Danielle offered helplessly, feeling a heavy weight on her shoulders. "I don't know how."

"Without him being accused of seducing a minor under eighteen?" Jean seemed shocked at the suggestion. "Danielle, do you know what this means to Logan? This could mean the end of his job and life. He could return back to his wandering lifestyle to escape it. He can't be seen with you in the way you want it. For Christ's sake, Danielle, the man is several years old than you…than _all_ of us, I might add. He's even older than the Professor. No, I would not do it. Leave Logan alone."

"But I love him," Danielle protested weakly, feeling the rare hot tears threaten to come down her face. She had never admitted to this feeling before and possibly never will again, seeing the logic in Jean's words, and was soon wiping away her shame.

"I know, I know," Jean said in a hush, taking Danielle fully into her arms and rocking her. "I know, Danielle. Just let it go."

Danielle knew that she couldn't. All of her emotions from that day and the months before rolled over her, aggressive in their way to crush her once more. In a corner of her eye, she saw death, a lonely and lovely black figure, waiting for her still. The Professor taught her to push that away, to keep that mutation out of sight and to keep living. However, the way life was going was making her believe that it was not worth it anymore, especially seeing the reality of her faraway love for Logan. It was a horrible thing to face, to realize that the person you could love was never to be yours, and there could be no comfort. Life was to be lived alone, Danielle thought with a jolt, and she might never be able to get past that. There was no way around it.

Jean gently persuaded and then prompted Danielle to come back inside, picking up her backpack and half-carrying her through the worn pathway back to the mansion. Danielle only obeyed, the rolling sadness still locked inside of her. She would have to face the coming days like this, she figured, and it would not change anytime soon. She only wished that she was stronger, that the hope she was taught to have was winning instead of the constant depression that plagued her. Even her goals and dreams did not seem to matter much, even if she had admiration for every struggling teacher in the country, especially those at the mansion. Maybe Jean was right. There was no way for her to be with Logan.

The only way to get on with life is to live it. Danielle walked back to the school with Jean, although she had some plans in her mind that tried to shove the sadness away. She had to get on with it, forgetting that there will be those who like to see her fall and that she ever had feelings for a loner mutant who rather be tied to the land than to a woman. That should hold her over for some months. Indeed, it was the only way to survive at this point until she saw Logan and tried to explain everything. That much she had to hold onto now, even if Jean told her otherwise.


	58. Impossible to Decipher

In the weeks that followed the graduating class heading their own way in the late summer and early autumn days, Logan kept himself busy. There wasn't much on Teller's end nor was there anything when he spied on the town in the woods on the school property. It was quiet, he felt…a little _too_ quiet. It was a calm before the storm, he theorized, and he was trying his best to figure out where and how it would blow. It might take a back seat though, thinking of a problem on a more personal front than anything else. To work this through, he hid in the woods one weekend morning, deciding that watching Salem Center from his tree branch perch was the best way to go about it.

To be honest, Logan had pinpointed the start when summer blossomed. As he sat down at his usual seat above and peered through his binoculars, he pondered upon where the blame should land. It most likely was all his, but there had been factors that contributed to it too. It started over ten years ago, when he first met an enchanting little girl sitting by a window, and it ended when that same girl, now a sixteen year old woman, began her journey to another place that promised progress and threw insults instead. That same person, that charming child that turned into a fighting machine and an adult, worked so hard to make herself better, to prove that she was as good as the rest, and proved to be a good team member, as far as Logan knew. When he glanced at the old property that Ellis purchased some time ago, a smoky cloud rising from it once more, he instead thought to the redheaded teenager who was now bothering him.

Again, if truth be told, Logan did not love Danielle like she did to him. Well, most likely did, but that was not that point. He liked her enough and valued her. However, those hazel eyes seem to haunt him. They beckoned to him, telling him to come closer and to know her better. _That_ part troubled him the most. They dared him, inspiring him as he did to her, and wanted him to ascertain as much as she had to. It scared Logan. He was afraid that he would fall for it and ultimately, for Danielle. She was too young and too vulnerable as well, Logan knew. She was strong and powerful, able to pull people out of Ellis' grasp and put them through channels that the politician had not found. However, it did not mean that he wanted to be there forever, to make sure she did not fall into an abyss that she created for herself.

Ok, so Logan liked her a little more than he was admitting and still could not be sure of that either. Again, she was too young to be dating or considering seriously. Well, everyone was younger than Logan technically, even Xavier. However, Logan appeared like he was in his late twenties still, a fact that made him laugh. It was all a part of his mutation. He had been through war and loss and still walked and worked like a man who did not age past the age of twenty-eight or so, something that stayed with him for over thirty years. He was sure this mission against Ellis was going to make him older, a fact that did not escape him.

Well, it was the same with Danielle, Logan realized, except she aged faster than he did. Sixteen going on twenty-three, he saw, and it was a dangerous change still. Indeed, it was a more hazardous game.

At first, Logan figured that he'd look out for the kid, but it was becoming more and more involved than he expected. After all, Danielle kept sucking him in again and again, pity parties, problems and drama included. She went past that now, a high school graduate and a confusing college student now. It was something he best keep away for now, he decided. Maybe he needed to focus on something more than this personal issue like that fire he was smelling from afar. Logan made a quick decision, opting to pick up Roger and head out. He jumped down from the tree, racing back to the school. He entered through the front door, seeing no one in sight, and sought out Roger. He did not take long to find the spy. He was at Mae's nursing station, flirting with her shamelessly and threatening all sorts of things they would do when they went home to Gil and home cooking. Mae, who saw Logan's arrival, put a hand on Roger's shoulder and pointed. When Roger turned around, Mae immediately disappeared into her office.

"What?" Roger seem irritated that his time with his wife was cut short once more.

"Fire at the property again," Logan replied. "It's been a while since we've seen anything. Have any word about Ellis?"

Roger crossed his arms, thinking. "Well, he's been catching up with his old military buddies, all of them generals and other officers. Big brass and shit like that. He's been linking with them. I think he means to use them for his own means. He can't leave the mutants alone. He has trying to involve more people that would be behind him. Already, he has a steady income and a following with being head of us mutants."

"Has the Professor given in?"

"I think so. The mail went to DC last week. I don't know what it was about though. Just seemed like a heavy envelop. Alex and Hank won't say a peep."

"This isn't going to be easy for us."

"No, but what choice did Charles have? We might have had Ellis' military guys at our doorsteps before long. I'm sure it was the right choice for now. We can work up from there."

"It means we're cornered, Roger. It means the security of this building is more imperative than ever before."

"You think we all don't know that?" Roger appeared menacing and his hands shook with blue flames, something that made Logan release his claws. "You think I don't think about these kids and teachers more than you do? Why do you think Charles picked me up all those years ago, when I was a kid and in jail for setting fires by accident? It wasn't because I was a delinquent, you know. Charles and Erik knew that I had talent and connections. They used it to their advantage, however far it got them."

Logan was surprised that Roger volunteered so much information about his own past, mysterious as it was. Dismissing that with a hand wave, Logan asked, "So, are you coming with me or not? I need to check this out and make a report."

"You gonna ask your associate there to stand guard?" Roger grinned, the anger in his voice still there.

Logan wanted to stab Roger with his claws. Asking for somebody to put underneath him, Xavier handed him Scott, a person who was just as annoyed as Logan was with the resolution. The Professor, as well as Alex and Hank, needed Scott to have more experience and thought being a teacher at the school as well as an extra pair of eyes (one really, Logan had to admit) meant that the job would suit him fine. Being a mechanic had its advantages too, like more bikes in the garage and teaching the older kids how to work them, something Xavier actually appreciated when he could no longer allow Hank and Alex to give driving lessons. Logan also had a pick of five more motorcycles if he needed to steal one. He could also have Jay's 1967 Honda CT190, but that had been won fair and square in a poker game with his old military buddies and that was something Logan could not mess with.

 _Yet._

"I think he can live without me for the time being," Logan said, retracting his claws when he saw no fight was necessary with Roger. "Now, you coming or what?"

"Yeah, let me just tell the wife." Roger sighed. "I can't go anywhere anymore without saying goodbye to my old lady. God, makes me wish I never married her. I am missing my single life right about now."

"I heard that!" Mae yelled from the back. Jean, who was with Mae, even stifled an extremely unprofessional giggle as Mae continued to grumble about men and how unappreciative they were.

Logan laughed. "Makes me happy I'm not married. Go on and make up with her, Roger. I'll be outside."

"I'll bring the truck over and we'll head out," Roger promised, immediately heading back to the office. This left Logan the chance to out.

Logan left the nursing station and took a left out, his mind racing. Hearing that Ellis was playing nice to the military was not a good sign. To have control over the armed forces meant that you were planning something and more power was needed. This took precedence over everything else Logan was mulling over. Indeed, once he and Roger got more information about that and what was going on, then they would report to Xavier, Alex and Hank. For now, he had to figure out when Ellis was planning his invasion, for that was what it was. The politician was scheming to overthrow still and it was just a matter of when and not how this time.

Before he reached the front door, Logan soon bumped into someone blindly and saw papers flying. He heard someone nursing and another's footsteps coming closer and talking about picking up the scattering schoolwork. When Logan checked to see who he accidentally knocked over, he saw Ororo and Danielle. The former was grabbing papers left and right while the latter stood still, rubbing her chest and coughing. A red mark popped up from above the collar and was quickly turning purple. Logan felt guilt stab him, even though it was a mishap.

"You ok?" Logan asked Danielle when Ororo managed to grab the last of the papers and handed them back to Danielle. "I wasn't lookin', kid. I'm sorry."

Danielle ignored the fact that she was called a kid and smiled through her coughing. "I'm…ok, Logan. Don't worry about me." She then started into another fit, the retrieved items shaking in her arms.

Ororo patted Danielle on the back and held her until she managed to catch her breath. When the younger mutant smiled at Ororo, she returned the gesture. Ororo then whispered something about seeing Jean or Mae later, something Danielle did not seem interested in doing. She replied back to Ororo that she will, once she completed a term paper and studied for some history exam. It wasn't really a promise, but Ororo took it anyway, although she was not convinced that it was going to happen. She left the pair with hesitation, something that pleased Danielle in some way. She motioned Logan to a window nearby.

"Can we talk?" Danielle inquired, something that sounded pretty serious. " _Please_."

"Sure." Logan followed Danielle to the large seat and sat down, as far away from her as he possibly could without gossip starting up. "Danielle, you know I didn't mean to hurt you, now or ever."

"I know." Danielle was quiet for a minute, ignoring the pain in her chest that the adamantium skeleton gave. "And you know many other things about me."

"I don't get what you mean." Logan was confused.

 _Yes, you do._ Danielle switched to talking through the mind, something that made Logan jump since it had been years since they had done it. _This shouldn't be meant for curious ears though, Logan, which is why I am doing this and giving everyone else the illusion we are talking pleasantly about school and you are asking about how my new classes are going. It's easier this way. I think the only people who can see through this are Jean, Jay and the Professor and they aren't anywhere near here right now. This'll be our only chance to talk for a while._

 _I still don't get what you mean, Danielle. What do you need to talk about?_

 _I would say it's about us, and some of it is, but that's not the point. You told me to attest to you that I do love you. People tell me it's impossible –_

 _Danielle…kid…listen, I don't have much time. Roger and I are heading out soon. He's supposed to be meeting me out front._

Danielle frowned. _I figured that this was going to be continued another time._

 _What did you need to tell me, Danielle? Just spit it out._

 _I just need to be told that this isn't impossible…that some things can be achieved?_

Logan shook his head in disbelief. The question was coming from an insecure teenager who was desperate to know if there was such thing as a happy ending. It seemed generalized too had she not mentioned that the conversation involved them both. Logan wanted to laugh though, to show Danielle that she had to be joking, but the way she was staring at him made him think twice about it, although his mouth twitched. Instead, Logan leaned forward, taking Danielle's head into his hands gently, and kissed her forehead. That alone was daring on his part, although it was difficult for anyone to see it through Danielle's shield.

Releasing Danielle, Logan smiled. _Believe what you will and always hope. Some things aren't as far-fetched as you think them to be._

Not wanting to linger, Logan left to find Roger, leaving Danielle again jumbled on the inside. The answer Logan gave her seemed to confirm her deepest fears and dreams all at once. He too did not seem committed to saying anything positive, although she had been close to saying that she loved him. She was also sure that he had been too, although she half-believed it to be wishful thinking. On the other hand, why the kiss on the forehead and with such tenderness too? Why clue her in that things are not hopeless and that sometimes lies are the truth? What was going through Logan's head other than security, Ellis and the school?

 _Back away. Ignore what Jean said. Keep the faith. Logan might come around and admit his feelings someday, whatever they are._

It was better advice to herself. Danielle was certain about it this time, smiling as she did.


	59. This Chain Reaction

**April 29, 1996**

Another school year was close the end. Although Logan seemed relieved and was almost ready to let fifteen more students graduate in less than two months, he was more worried about the world they too would have to face, the same as the previous class. Ever since the autumn's visit to Ellis' spare property with Roger, he had been realizing that there was little more that he could do. Indeed, it was Teller that clued him into the opinion. Ellis had been rising more and more and had powers that they had yet to topple. Right now, in this time and place, there might not be a way to.

Logan sat at his usual perch at Teller's bar, sipping some whiskey this time and thinking, something he was beginning to despise with each passing year. The lights had dimmed a bit, somewhat ineptly done by Ororo, Teller's new DJ and the one in charge of the shows. Popular and pretty, the white-haired mutant managed to get the hot spotlight on the singer, this time not Danielle. It wasn't a bad song, Logan had to admit, although he had heard better in this scummy sanctuary for both mutants and humans alike. No, it was no safety zone by any stretch of the imagination anymore, he corrected himself. Ellis had terrorized even this place and he was winning. There could be no doubts about it now.

In the meantime, they were all alive and hanging by a thread (even Xavier had admitted this to himself). Ellis, head of mutant affairs, was now putting his bid in for the presidential race this coming November for the Republican ticket. He was still fairly young, close to fifty, and good-looking and popular. His voice had traveled too far and too wide and was held in people's hearts closely, in Logan's opinion, and it was soon erupting into rioting between humans and mutants, poor and rich, race against race and religion against religion. There were no sides to this façade Ellis was creating, Logan knew. It was an illusion that the walls went up and the people were going along with it anyway. Law and order was crumbling and police forces have been pushing back, creating a martial state that allowed nobody to come out of their homes safely.

Salem Center was not excluded. Logan noticed, little by little, how the looting started and then continued and how hostile everyone was towards anybody who was mutant or passing the gene (if that was known). The police officers became more and more corrupt, all of them having pockets lined by Ellis. Bribes had been exchanged since money seemed to be the ticket for peace. Even Xavier was not above it too, dipping into his extremely vast family fortune to keep the school safe. Millions of dollars stored for the school's upkeep had to be handed over in order to keep the crowds from molesting the children and teachers, Logan knew. After all, he only had to look out of his bedroom window every morning to see the hecklers, who now knew them to be a mutant school and one that had no qualms about going past someone like him. Ellis had seen to it, allowing them to be harassed before the gates.

The federal laws had gotten stricter too. Because Ellis had great influence in Congress, bill after bill came out, uprooting the Constitution and slashing their rights across the board. Unless you were white, male, Christian and human, you were not benefitted. Even women and the young had been targeted, even though they were not mutants. Planned Parenthood clinics closed across the country and the Roe versus Wade decision had been reversed. Now, older men had control over women's bodies and how they handled their sex lives. Although still technically a crime, prostitutes were being picked up and charged with jail time longer than usual before being sent into a rehab center and then married off to a man who did not love them. Anyone who used birth control or sought an abortion was charged like a criminal, much as it had been over a century before.

Worst yet was the new treason laws. Anyone who even _thought_ of the present administration as weak and unjust was imprisoned. Anyone could accuse anyone of that, be it family, friends and neighbors known for years. There could be no evidence against the person. In the middle of the night, the special police force could come for us, dragging you out of bed and into the back of a truck or a van. Teller had already seen it happen firsthand. Snake Eyes, who had moved upstairs when Vinnie was killed, was reported to have been saying words against the government. The week before, men in black stormed the apartment, wrecking everything in sight, going through papers and generally terrorizing the inhabitants of the place. Before long, they managed to grab Snake Eyes, putting a black mask over his face, and dragged him out, leaving leaflets praising Ellis and his efforts. Teller claimed to never have heard from his bouncer again.

It was a scary time. Simple decisions that anyone could make and had taken advantage of were now gone and the corporations that rose the previous decade in Reagan's presidential reign had been chosen as the people to serve. Money and power were king and the pawns that were stuck on the other end of the board could not move. There was a tight noose that went around everyone's necks, not just mutants, and it was slowly choking them. Along with Ellis were a certain amount of older men, the elite he selected personally, that followed him religiously and assisted in any way to make certain the rules were being followed. Their network spread far and wide, something that made Xavier anxious. Because of this, he ordered all of their activities to be halted, although Logan was sure that Roger was still at it. Of course, he was certain that Danielle, Ororo and Jean had been busy rescuing more people too. Although against orders, he knew that the three could not resist doing anything in their power to get anybody out of trouble.

However, even they could only do so much. Mutant laws had been just as popular as Ellis and were similar to what Logan had heard of in Nazi Germany. Mutants were segregated into their own neighborhoods, which cost many their homes and mortgages, something they would have to still pay for the humans who moved in. They were not allowed to go to the same schools as humans, spiking the population in Xavier's institution upward or in some other schools now designated for just mutants. They had to socialize and marry mutants only and could not be seen with humans, something that broke up too many relationships, friendships, marriages and even families. Stores had been chosen as those for mutants and even the supply company that gave Xavier's school food had to tell them to choose another, since they no longer served mutants. Worst of all, they all had to be known by the M tattoo above their right eyebrows, identifying them as mutants.

Absentmindedly, Logan rubbed his tattoo with trepidation, feeling the bitter liquid run down his throat in another gulp. It had taken some special ink to make that letter stick on his face, his healing abilities aside. At the center where he, as well as many others, had been registered as mutants, they had to face the humiliating part of an M being drawn on their bodies. Afterward, he had to tell a government official his abilities, something that made him wary, especially after Stryker. But now, Logan was legitimately and legally named as James Howlett, born in Canada in 1832 and known as a veteran of many wars that now denounced him as a coward and not the brave man who charged onward through them. He was then marked, along with Xavier, Jean, Roger, Danielle and Jay, as potentially dangerous mutants and ones that the government had to keep an eye out on.

Throughout his musings, Alex came to sit next to Logan. Now widely known as a regular at the bar, it did not matter anymore where Alex went. Freely able to drink at Teller's bar without retaliation from Ellis, he ordered a beer from Teller and waited until it arrived before trying to get Logan's attention. The older mutant put his claws out in a threatening gesture, showing that he wanted to be alone for a few minutes more because he was still in a treacherous set of mind, and waited until he finished his glass before turning to Alex with his claws back inside of his knuckles.

"What you want?" Logan was in no mood for games this night.

"Oh, this and that." Alex took another sip of his beer. "Just wondering how my brother is faring."

"Well enough," Logan admitted. Scott wasn't bad at doing his job, although he had been annoying to deal with when he whined about how much more work he had to do.

"You hear about him and Jean?"

"No, what now?"

"Scott bought her a ring. He wants to marry her."

"At a time like this?"

"Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing. However, love is love, I say. Let them be miserable together."

"Like you and Lorna?"

"If you want to put it that way, yes."

Logan knew better than to rub salt in a fresh wound. Alex had asked Lorna again to marry him some months ago and, just as they started making wedding plans, she got cold feet and decided not go through with their plans. Brokenhearted, Lorna made the decision to go away for a while for an undeterminable amount of time and who knew where, a location that only Xavier had and would not release. Alex was very hurt by this and tried to make the best of the situation, although Logan partially knew why Lorna was so flighty. She was scared of the present situation, having been marked as a mutant, and was coming to grips with the realization that Magneto was her biological father. It was something that Ellis advertised openly, making her and her siblings twins Peter (Quicksilver) and Wanda (Scarlet Witch) open targets. Going into hiding, especially since her siblings were part of another government group, was the best way to go, no matter the pain Alex felt at this.

"You thinking of your future?" Alex asked, eying Teller's movements with caution. He noticed the bar owner go to the back, most likely to talk to Chameleon, and felt mistrust run over him again. Alex would never admit to liking Teller, useful as he had been, but he would accept friends when they got them nonetheless.

"Sort of," Logan admitted. "Not really."

"Being a dangerous mutant has its perks, I see," Alex joked, although it came out wrong.

Logan growled. "I'd rather protect those who are making the future."

"Like Danielle?"

That stung. "Including her too, bub. It's not just her I would like to protect."

"I'd like to think there's an attraction you're not telling me about."

"Listen, Alex, I respect the kid. That's about it."

"It's not what rumor is telling me."

"To hell with the rumors, Alex. You know them to be garbled."

"Not from Jean they aren't."

"What?" Logan was alarmed.

"Jean has been noticing some things happening with Danielle," Alex explained carefully, making sure his tone was quiet enough for just Logan to hear. "Ever since she was a kid, we all knew that she had a major crush on you that possibly ended when she was twelve or thirteen. However, recent months have displayed an alarming and drastic change in her feelings for you. She loves you, Logan, and you encouraged her to prove it to you."

"Kid's too young," Logan replied as if to explain away his careless comment from over a year ago. "I can't date her. I can't love her or any woman."

"Logan, you're several years older than everyone else," Alex pointed out. "Nobody is going to blink an eyelash if you decide on dating Danielle Mitchell when she's older. Just wait a couple of more years, I'd say. Of course, Jean and Scott tend to disagree, but I think it is more concern on her part and pure annoyance on his." Alex smiled, again at his beer before continuing. "Logan, you look like you're almost thirty anyway. What difference would it make if you did the deed, especially to a teenage who looks twenty-five anyway?"

"Everything," Logan said, hoping that would generalize his feelings. "I was hoping to avoid it."

"You've taken a shining to her since she was six, Logan. Everybody expected you to admire her and to never taken advantage of her fragile feelings. It's something we were all amazed at, loner that you are. However, I am beginning to think you really like her more than you let on. Wise men don't kiss and tell though, do they?"

"No, they don't."

"So, tell me…have you?"

"Have I what? Kissed the kid?"

Alex nodded, eager to hear more. He was almost like an older woman, awaiting her daily juicy story and hoping it would be better than the day before. Logan felt sick just thinking about it, his stomach churning as he thought back to his own brazen activities and how his feelings seem to be changing too. On the other hand, he wasn't going to admit kissing Danielle on the forehead some months ago and most certainly would keep his cards secret until a time when he could no longer play stoic. It would cause trouble with Jay too, drunken fool that he can be and protective of his sister also. It was best to deny everything and just say what happened years before, when chaos first surrounded them.

"Yeah, long time ago," Logan allowed, keeping his face straight. "At that Ellis rally some time ago, had to make sure Danielle wasn't seen and known as a mutant. So, I hid in a corner and kissed her. At least the crowds passed."

Alex seemed disappointed. "There seemed to be more than you're saying."

"Yeah, well, this is why I keep my secrets close to the heart." Logan waved his glass for another refill, the fourth of the night. While Teller obliged, he was not too pleased to be wasting his top shelf liquor on a man who could not get drunk.

"Wanna know of another?" Alex pushed his beer bottle back a little, leaning forward.

"Not really," Logan admitted.

"Charles is planning again," Alex remarked, not paying attention to what Logan had said. "He thinks we can bring enough people together."

"Alex, it might take years," Logan protested lightly.

"And?" Alex's eyes blazed with ambition, all of it in bringing down Ellis. "All that matters is that we work with what we have. This is a setback, something we can use to our advantage. Already, protests are being done in our name."

"And Matthew might spend more time in jail. So what?"

"So, Logan we continue the fight. It won't end today or tomorrow. It continues until the idea is lost. However, we all know that words are wind. They travel, get lost and are found. No idea can totally be eliminated forever."

"Uh-huh. So, what do you want me to do?"

"Well, Ellis is planning a trip to Salem Center in two weeks."

"How do you know?"

Alex grinned again. "Roger has been snooping."

"Oh, I am _hardly_ surprised. So, what are we doing?"

"Waiting for him to come to us. He is planning on speaking to the so-called opposition, which is us, and talking about a deal."

"Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it."

"Me too, but we'll see. For now though, we can enjoy the new laws that keep us separated and segregated, keep our heads down and enjoy the show."

Logan conceded, taking his new glass of whiskey from Teller and sipping slowly. By then, he had turned around and was listening to the next act Ororo had announced, which was Danielle. She was solo this time, under a single bright light and awaiting for her turn to have Jean and Ororo next to her. Mourning the turning of the page in the chapter of their fight, Danielle specifically scanned her crowd to see who was there, her gaze landing on Logan and Alex briefly, before diving into the next verse.

 _You don't expect from me  
This chain reaction.  
You can't imagine from me  
This great affection…_

 _See the structure of my pride.  
Wasn't easy to build it away from this.  
I never walked away from you,  
I never walked alone…_


	60. An Unforgettable Meeting

As promised, two weeks later, Ellis announced his coming to Salem Center. Bringing with him all of the new men he befriended in Washington, he made a show of his arrival as it was played out on national and local television, pretending to be modest when presented the keys to the city by the mayor, who happened to be a distant cousin of his cousin's wife, Mary Belkin-Ellis. He then accepted gifts from all sorts of people, from toys and flowers from human children to kisses and boxes of chocolate from their mothers and sisters. The men begged to be on his side, the single women asking to be his wife and the children nagging to be his aides when older. It was widely known that Ellis was still single and in need of some children of his own, something that disgusted Logan, as he had known of the politician's lust for Danielle Mitchell for years now.

Then, just as Ellis was settling with comfort in a top hotel in Salem Center and promising to visit every business and school he could during his stay, Xavier announced to a stunned school population in a town hall meeting in the downstairs gym that Ellis was coming the next day. With Alex and Hank on his sides, each flanking the man in the wheelchair as if protecting Xavier from the worst, he explained to one and all that it was a courtesy visit and that he would be meeting with Ellis with a selected few people. He asked that everyone go about their business like it was a normal day and to show every kindness to Ellis and his people if they see them.

"For we are not showing that we are better than one another," Xavier added with a smile. "We are only showing that we can work together as a team and that anyone can coexist with the other. Be strong and have hope. There will be better times ahead."

It was a sentiment that Xavier echoed many times before and will continue to in the time to come. It settled the group before him though, something that Logan knew could hardly be done these days, and allowed them to leave in relative peace and with a sense of safety. Logan himself was in the back of the gym, arms still crossed and very suspicious of Ellis coming. He did not believe that the politician was coming in peace just as Xavier was. No, he was up to no good and Logan was determined to find out what it was. However, before he could leave the echoing room, Xavier motioned him forward. Still guarded by Hank and Alex, Logan did not feel equal to the three and indeed was very much outnumbered when he arrived before them.

"Don't do anything rash, Logan," Xavier begged, a tone that he hardly used. "We need to be on Ellis' good graces right now. I cannot jeopardize this."

"He knows we've been against him for years," Logan automatically replied. "Why are you accepting him now?"

"Because we might work out an agreement," Xavier explained, something that Alex mentioned some weeks before. "Ellis wants to treat us like an enemy and blame us for the country's woes. I am determined to demonstrate that we are harmless."

"It might be seen as another threat, Charles," Hank warned, his blue fur shaking with the prospect of violence.

"I agree," Alex added, something Logan did not expect. "I say, let Ellis tell you what his agenda is and we work from there."

"We might be seen as hiding something too," Xavier reminded the pair. It made Logan think that he was not on one side and the three on the other. It seemed Alex and Hank were against Xavier on this.

"We'll work on it when Ellis comes tomorrow," Logan volunteered, his words wise as head of security and mixing with the assessments of the three before him. "I think we should all show our hands, hide nothing, and see what happens. We don't need to lie about our existence. We also don't need to come down here and openly admit we are working for humanity and mutantkind. Ellis does not need to know about the X-Men."

Xavier nodded. "We'll keep the welcome minimal, since classes will be in session. I think a few of us should be present and nothing more. I don't think the Mitchell siblings need to be there, nor Jean, Storm and Scott. Just the four of us and Roger."

"Wouldn't it be spitting in Ellis' face if we showed him his brother-in-law?" Hank wondered out loud, his voice most certainly full of worry.

"We'll see how it goes." Xavier's eyes shone with mischief for a moment, something that made Logan think it was all a prank to begin with.

Indeed, it was nerve wrecking to think something of this magnitude could happen and in this top school for mutants. The next day could not come soon enough in Logan's opinion though, even as the chatter around him talked of doom and enslavement, something he thought premature for now. While everyone had been otherwise curious about Ellis coming, Xavier ordered all of the teachers and other staff to be out of sight and to go about their business like it was a normal day. Students especially were ordered to keep to their own studies, Xavier ensuring that each and every one of them were in classes not on the first floor. He wanted Ellis not to be bothered with mutant children and teachers.

On the appointed day, Xavier was at the front door with Logan, Roger, Alex and Hank alone. Ellis and his entourage soon pulled up to the entranceway at the scheduled hour of nine in the morning, long after classes started, and out came four other men with Ellis, one of them being his cousin, the weasel Peter Ellis. They did not bother to knock. Logan noticed that Peter Ellis just tried the doorknob, glancing around here and there to see is there was a mutant threat somewhere around them, and opened the entranceway to his cousin, allowing the elder Ellis to enter quite unmolested. The others filed in line behind him, seeming surprised to find this school clean and professional for one so notorious in holding mutants.

"Welcome," Xavier greeted warmly, gesturing to the front hallway that was his home. "Secretary Ellis, Senator Ellis, gentlemen. May I introduce my staff before we have refreshments?"

"I feel we don't have time for that, Xavier," Ellis clearly stated, something that made the others laugh, like it was all a joke anyway. He also glanced at Roger quickly, the two exchanging the usual customary threats facially. "I prefer to talk to you alone and with one other person. I wish that we both have witnesses, to ensure that this is a fair conversation."

The statement was also clear that Ellis did not want to see Roger anywhere near him. "I'll take Logan then," Xavier replied, uncertain of where this was going. He did not even bother scanning Ellis' mind, afraid that it would be seen as a death threat by the human.

"Peter, come," Ellis then ordered, treating his cousin like he was a dog. Logan was immediately reminded of Stryker and his penchant of doing the same to his minions, quickly dismissing the thought. "Xavier, do you have someplace private we can converse?" Ellis then asked, eying Logan with suspicion.

"Certainly," Xavier said, gesturing to his left, where his office was. From there, he wheeled himself to the lead, Logan behind him and the two Ellis men at the rear. They entered the office, Logan closing the door behind them, and found seats before Xavier's desk. The Professor himself took his customary place on the other side.

Ellis soon found his words. "Xavier, this is not a peace offering. This is a warning."

"Of what sort?" Xavier decided to play stupid and Logan thought it courageous and very genuine. It was also a mask of many sorts and one Ellis saw through.

"You know what I am talking about." Ellis sounded cold, banging a fist on Xavier's desk in front of him. "You have been sending your agents to my doorstep for some years now. I am advising you to stop. You cannot keep countering my laws and plans at every opportunity."

"I have no idea what you are referring to," Xavier admitted, still with a poker face. "Logan regularly sees Phineas Teller as a friend and to drink. Alex does the same on occasion. Jay Mitchell works there and so does Ororo Munroe, Jean Grey and Danielle Mitchell."

"Liar," Ellis hissed, almost like a snake, which reminded Logan of old Snake Eyes. "You have been using them in espionage. You have been turning your school into a military facility where you train mutants to overthrow the present government. You are trying to kill us all!"

If the situation wasn't so serious, Logan would have laughed. "Listen, Secretary –"

"I do not want to hear your filthy words," Ellis interrupted Logan. "Say it for the jury, James Howlett. Your time will come when your crimes become known to humanity."

Logan stiffened at the mention of the birth name, but that did not stop Xavier from butting in before it became a sticky wicket. "Do you have evidence that we are conducting treason?" he asked calmly and at the same time telling Logan silently to keep his mouth shut.

"Right with me," Ellis admitted, motioning to his cousin. Sheepishly, Peter took out a thick file, giving it to his cousin. Ellis himself handed it to Xavier, careful not to touch anything nearby.

Xavier took the file calmly, waving Logan forward. Logan then got up, standing next to Xavier behind the desk, and read over his shoulder quickly. Ellis had a good case against them. Since 1987, he had been documenting their movements, from Jay going into the Army, Vinnie Paul's testimonies against them and even pictures of everyone in their illegal activities. Most disturbing to Logan and Xavier both were the photos of Danielle, most of them while she was singing, but others when she was dressing or naked in bed. Xavier went through those sections without even betraying that he was dismayed, only showing mild amusement when he read Magneto's so-called statement, one in which he admitted working with the X-Men and that his Brotherhood had been intent on using them as well. While sad that his old friend was jailed and his sister, the ever-changing Mystique, was sentenced to a camp in California, Xavier could not show Ellis his emotions. He closed the file instead, sure that Logan had enough too, and looked up to the two Ellis men.

"These are serious charges," Xavier said, "and much of them I presume were taken under torture. After all, Erik Lehnsherr and Raven Darkhölme are known criminals, but I have just read that they had been in solitary confinement for months and have been tortured in the same amount of time before releasing their statements to you. Would that be the truth, Secretary?"

Ellis turned red with embarrassment, but Peter broke in before the storm was released from his cousin. "How dare you presume that we are running the same illegal activities are you are?" Peter was obviously just as angry as his cousin. "These statements have been taken when the subjects realized their unjust ways and have known that they could lie no more."

"Enough, Peter." Soon, Ellis found his words, ordering his cousin down. "Xavier, we run a tricky business here and one I am hoping you now understand. Your kind is now facing extinction because of your uncleanliness and inability to be human. You never are perfect and never will be. Admit your wrongs and it shall go easy for you."

"Easy how?" Logan interjected suddenly.

Ellis faced Logan this time. "You don't need to be coy with me, James Howlett," he said. "I know what you, Jay Mitchell and Roger Mortimer have been up to. You have rung Teller into doing your bidding and have gone too far in making him yours. This time, if you won't admit to your wrongdoing, this school will be the first to go. I cannot stand idly and watch our country go to waste because of mutants who do not mind their business and obey the new laws."

Logan was about to say how mutants could not help who they were, but again Xavier stopped him. "We cannot say we did anything unlawful if we have not," he insisted. "Look around you, Secretary, Senator. We are a _school_. We take in mutant children who have no home and need to control their powers. There are no facilities here, no special training. Only pure and simple peace and normalcy."

"And that is against the law itself. Parents did not consent to their children being taught and should have kept a handle on them." Ellis stood up suddenly, Peter along with him, although he was appearing too sluggish when he did. "I think we are finished, Xavier. Await my word. There will be someone who will come by for an official visit. They will report the remaining of their findings and a verdict will be reached by next year. Farewell!"

Without further ado, Ellis left, allowing Peter the chance to slam the door behind him. Logan did not notice how livid he was, his claws shining in the late spring sunshine. He quickly felt the urge to slice the two Ellis men into pieces, adrenaline rushing into him as he ran for the door. However, without warning, he was also stilled, his in-motion run stopped by Xavier. The Professor did not want to use his powers against Logan, but he felt like he had no choice. Indeed, if he allowed his school security official to kill top Washington officials, then they would be targeted faster than they are at the present time.

After a few minutes, when Xavier felt that Logan had cooled down enough, he released him. Breathing heavily, Logan hit the ground hard and soon was up, claws still out. The stern face Xavier gave him made him think twice though. Feeling calmer, Logan put his claws back in, sitting down where the secretary of mutant affairs had recently parked. He sighed, rubbing his eyes gently before facing Xavier, without the shame and embarrassment of being caught in the act of rage. The two did not speak to each other and waited until Roger, Hank and Alex entered, the last in line closing the door shut. The three stood there, anxious to hear of what happened.

"I presume it went as well as expected?" Hank asked, his tone almost sounding sarcastic, something that perked Logan right up.

"It was pretty short," Alex remarked. "I would assume Ellis had a speech and left."

"Yeah, _really_ short," Roger added, most certainly sarcastic.

"But he revealed what he planned to do with the school," Xavier replied before the conversation went out of hand, "and we now have to plan for the worst, for that has been accused already. We need to agree on a plan and swiftly. Roger, do you happen to know where Jay and Danielle are?"

"Jay is possibly sleeping at home and Danielle is who the hell knows where." Roger shrugged his shoulders in indifference. "I am not their keeper this time. Not my turn to walk them around the block."

Xavier then turned to Alex and Hank, ignoring the last remarks. "Where is Scott? Jean and Storm?"

"Scott has classes and then Logan has him on patrol for a couple of hours tonight," Alex said. "Jean is with Mae, most likely."

"It's only until dinnertime," Logan added, feeling defensive.

"Storm has been at her classes until three," Hank commented, feeling small and cornered. "Charles, I don't think –"

"I think we need to involve them all," Xavier declared, feeling more forceful than he normally was. "I cannot tell you the importance of this now. All of you need to understand and I need to make this clear. Right now, we need to stand down. We cannot save people for a while and need to keep our heads down. It might now mean our lives and the children's too."

* * *

 **I was in a hurry the night before that I forgot to credit the lyrics at the end of the chapter! It was Lacuna Coil's song "Purify" from their 2001 album _Unleashed Memories_.**


	61. Sweet Innocence Lost Forever

**July 30, 1996**

The summer was a harsh one and nobody was spared its wrath, even in the perilous north where it was normally cold. From early May onward, temperatures had been eighty or above and the humidity was no better. The water supplies started drying up coast to coast and the watering holes left had been crowded, the beaches especially, although those too had been sandy and without relief. It was the same across the country also. Tempers flared and riots had been common. The government was slowly losing control over them, something that seemed unheard of, and martial law had been declared. However, there was one person who was now in charge of the military and it was the same man who was now holding the reins behind a puppet president with no power and demanding that all obey him.

Logan somehow did not care. These days, he was restricted to the school grounds and sometimes going to Teller's anyway and that was a long shot, since his route there was not allowed to be walked by mutants according to the new law. He stuck to his own business as he did before being told about Ellis (even before Jay went into the Army), scouting the area around the property, breaking up fights and sneaking off the alcohol from the older teenagers before they noticed anything. Scott wasn't much of a help in many ways because he was teaching, but making a round around the school was a benefit that Logan even appreciated. He tolerated the snide comments from him and the times he found him sucking face with Jean, even the time the two were alone in the gardens and Logan caught Scott proposing to Jean.

Besides, he had more to worry about than two mutants who were in love. After the meeting with Xavier, with all of them present to hear his words of warning, Logan found life to be a little less interesting, although in some parts exciting. His activities with Teller, Roger and Jay had been curtailed, but there had been a new distraction all the same. Danielle, who had turned seventeen and was at the height of her beauty, was the apple of her eye for the time being. Every time he turned around, she was there with a smile on her face and always a kind word, either to him or to those around her. Her presence was becoming more and more calming, her body more and more alluring…and all because she made herself so available and made it too easy as well.

The proof Logan seemed to have wanted seemed to have gone to hell. Danielle showing up was with more than just a smile and that all the evidence he needed. She glanced at him from time to time, always with a reassuring face, almost like she was telling him that it would be all right all in the end, just as he told her. She came by his hiding spots, usually out in the woods, and would say hi and to give him small things, items she knew would make him wonder for a second. She once found some ammunition and guns hidden in a steamer trunk underground near the clearing, something that Logan dated back to the early twentieth century (and other family artifacts that he immediately handed over to Xavier). Other times, she'd turn up wherever he was when he least expected it, most of the time in the middle of the night when she couldn't sleep, and they'd talk for hours about everything and everybody, even when they had other things to do and places to go.

Logan was extremely surprised. In the years since he'd known Danielle, he never realized how easy she was to talk to, how secretive and private she could be and how little she trusted people. Danielle was insecure and was always searching for some sort of reassurance herself, but when she had conviction, she felt that it was right and stuck to it. She was an emotional person, very deep and reflective now. Dark days seems to be behind her, although she knew that they were still coming and will continue to hound her. By then though, Logan had started realizing how strong her mutant powers were and how formidable she and Jay were…and how they seem to bother him as much as her.

One day, Logan was too bored and decided that watching Salem Center in the woods was a way to pass the time (just to get away from the students), even though Xavier had forbidden them all from spying on Ellis. Although the stream was nearby dried of all of the water, he still sat on the log before it, stomping his boots into the cracked dust below. Settling down, He tried seeing through the drying tree branches and sensed nothing except smoke and chaos. The smell was awfully overwhelming though, one that reminded him of death.

Logan then stood up, trying to get a clearer picture, and could not get past the devastating aura of burning bodies. Dizzy, he sat back down again, feeling disappointed in himself. There was no way to counter against Ellis, he realized with a start, and they hardly had a way to anyway. They would have to live with his rise to power, the new restrictions and even the humiliation. In a way, they fed the hate Ellis had against mutants. Information passing was a way to understand how they were under the whole political spectrum, Logan concluded, and even if they were a bit unorganized, Ellis was always several steps ahead.

"You can't keep feeling sorry for yourself, you know."

Logan turned around. It was Danielle.

The young mutant soon sat next to Logan. "I don't think there isn't anything you could have done," she continued, staring into the same space Logan was. " _Nobody_ could, not even Alex or Hank or the Professor. I think even Roger was flabbergasted. He can get all the dirt he could, but without the Professor saying it was ok, he was never going to lift a finger against Ellis. Being peaceful was the best way, he thought."

"I could remind you of a few other occasions we did not go his way," Logan pointed out.

Danielle's face flushed red. "I could say the same about you."

"Have you killed recently?"

"No, but I had to kick Scott in the shins and pin him to a wall this morning. He tried telling me I didn't know anything and he ended up being held up by a couple of knives a few feet from the ground."

Logan laughed. "Really? Will he ever learn his lesson?"

"Doubtful. Jean was a little more than irritated with me and warned me that she'll do something equally rotten if I continue. I think, after punching him in the face a couple of years back, that she did not appreciate the skills taught to me. Nobody does and sometimes I am afraid of myself too, the way I can fend people off of me. However, you're a little coy today. Makes me think you've killed recently."

"Oh, this and that." Logan was not telling Danielle about Vinnie. "You don't need to know."

"I can find out." Danielle had no qualms about that, Logan was sure, although there was some hesitation in her voice.

"I doubt you'd like what's in there." Logan paused. "Besides, what the hell do you want to do with an old man like me?"

"I think we've been getting to know each other quite well, I think. With all of our conversations behind us, I would have thought that you would have figured out why I hang out with you."

"Pure annoyance, I used to believe."

"Naw. Think beyond that."

"You think I'm too lonely?"

"You know, I haven't thought that far. Go back a little."

"Maybe you're just a pain in the ass kid who likes older men paying attention to her?"

"Or I just like blunt men like you."

They were closer to each other now, just inches from each other's face, even though the comment from Danielle seemed immature and likely to drive people away. Logan, who found the remark silly to begin with, could smell the perfume that Danielle usually wore with each move closer – lavender – and breathed it in. It seemed to be the only thing that deterred him from moving forward. He wanted to push away and not be so close to her. Every word they exchanged seem to have made them fonder of each other and that alone was too dangerous.

"Perhaps we should –" Danielle started, pulling herself away, seeing where her mischief was now leading her to.

Logan responded daringly, damning himself all the more. He interrupted Danielle with a hard kiss on the lips.

~00~

Jay Mitchell had a rough night, silent as it was. He had the night off from Teller's, oddly missing the fun and excitement he found there (even the inactivity that the years brought them) and was unable to disengage his mind from keeping an eye on Ellis. His thoughts ranged to women he had seen over the years to the beautiful woman he called his wife. Oh, hell, even he was feeling unfaithful to Fiona, even if it was in thought, and it made him very guilty, even if it had been years since they had word about her. He should have declared her dead and moved, thinking that Ellis would have killed her off anyway. Teller reassured him that she was alive and that Ellis had no reason to destroy her yet (that being the key word). She was a hostage, he told Jay, and would be released when Ellis felt satisfied that there were no mutant threats left. It was a gorgeous lie and Jay had to believe it in order to survive without her.

In the meantime, Jay needed to relax at home, where hell was everywhere anyway and the minions always screaming. Today was but the first day in the week he had off, the first real vacation he had in years. Teller had managed to hire more people to play bouncer, DJ and waiters since he lost so many and Xavier demanded that they stand down for a while, to allow the fires to burn without them in it. He told Jay to take a week off and to stay away too, ensuring that the elder Mitchell sibling was well-rested for what was going to be the next (and perhaps final) phase of their spying. It was a lost cause, Jay and Teller agreed, and it might be some years before they could do anything with Ellis. Right now, he gathered too much support, had the military under his thumb and was more than willing to take power when he shouldn't. Doing something was better than nothing.

Feeling overheated, Jay decided that a warm shower was in order, feeling that a cold one would put him into shock. It was nine in the morning on a bright Saturday morning, the heat was already proving to be more than a nuisance and he did not feel up to checking on his mother. Yawning, he got out of his cot without putting a shirt over his boxer shorts, turning a left to go down the hallway to Danielle's room. The door was ajar. Normally, it was shut closed and music was softly playing from the radio. Shrugging his shoulders, he pushed the door open, facing the darkness. Thinking to surprise his sister, he went to the windows and threw the curtains aside, and turned around, only to see not just one lump in the bed, but two.

For sure, the queen-sized bed frame was feeling the weight of two people greatly, especially one with an adamantium skeleton. Jay snickered, something that immediately woke Logan up. Startled, he sat up in the bed, claws out, and was revealing more than Jay had, something that made Logan cover up quickly with the thin sheet. His sudden movements then stopped, realizing where he was and why, and he stood naked before Jay. He was trying his hardest not to wake Danielle up, a surprise to him. His claws still out, Logan was soon reaching for a pair of pants.

All the while, Jay stood there, amazed. For sure, he knew that it would not have taken long for the two to get acquainted with each other. Indeed, he was expecting it, although he was annoyed that it had to be Logan after Vinnie. He calmed his fury though, willing the blue and silver energy swirls to be stilled, and even took a glance into Danielle's mind, something he could not help doing. The day before, the two grew too close, especially when Danielle instigated, and kissed and soon were naked near the stream, although the exploration was quite private. It soon became a blur and the next scene was under the twilight and stars in the back property, hands entwined as they sat on a tree branch nearby Danielle's childhood treehouse. Later that night, Danielle then managed to sneak Logan in, the both of them drunk with love.

 _In love, my ass._ Jay was going to allow his sister this happiness for now, but vowed to break her up from Logan somehow. He had to, so that she would never have to experience the same broken heartedness he had now.

"Mind covering up?" Jay finally asked, shutting the curtains and tossing Logan his shirt. "I've seen enough naked men in my lifetime. At least yours isn't as pretty as the ones I've had to shower with."

"Fuck you too," Logan muttered under his breath as he put his clothes back on, barefoot before Jay.

"Don't you wish," Jay replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now, you gonna leave my sister alone?"

"Don't think I can now."

"I've give you three seconds to make a run for it and pretend it never happened."

"And I'll give you two before I make it worth it to watch you wiggle in agony. I love your sister, Jay. I can't change that."

"So, you're admitting your feelings now?"

"Want me to lie?"

"No." Jay uncrossed his arms, amazed with the honesty. "No, I don't. You want to get out of here before my mother has a heart attack though? I would prefer that she thinks her little girl still has some wind to sail when she gets married."

"I get it, I get it, although I wasn't setting those sails first." Logan put his arms in the air as if in surrender, allowing his claws to return to his knuckles. "Your mother gonna be lookin' out the window anytime soon?"

Jay moved aside, opening it and detaching the screen. "Be my guest. My mother doesn't like blinking in the light for another hour or so. See you later?"

"If you want to live," Logan said. Taking the hint, he gathered what was his, taking a glance back at Danielle's sleeping form before climbing out of the window and using the gutters, drain pipes and windows to get down and leave the farmhouse.

Jay watched Logan disappeared in the fields across the street. He then turned back to Danielle, still slumbering and unaware of what just conspired. He thought about erasing the memories she had the day before, knowing that she initiated most of Logan's feelings and more, and decided against it. First, he would have to explain himself to Xavier and that was something he did not want to do. Second, Logan was sure to say something to Danielle if he was continuing down the road he decided on and that alone would confuse her and him too. Lastly, and most important of all, Danielle would sense it and would never forgive Jay for it. They were closer than most siblings, although his sister had been secretive over the years, and that was a relationship he could not risk losing.

Sighing, Jay moved to depart the bedroom, opting to leave his sister alone for the time being. However, nagging scenarios played out in his mind, all of them leading down a horrible road, and he had to push them away. Like Danielle, he was sensing doom and all he needed to do was lament their act of drastic action and the M that, like every mutant in the country, adorned his face, above his right eyebrow.


	62. Beginning of the End

**September 17, 1996**

The summer months soon turned to cool autumn ones and the rains once again came, which was a relief. While it seemed to have turned into floods for the week, water still managed to fill in the dusty crevices, something that did not stop another storm that heralded itself in its wake. It kept more people inside anyway and those who ventured outside were at risk. Perhaps it had to do with the segregation. After all, the mutants had finally been designated in certain areas of all towns and cities. Or perhaps it had been the police that had been enforcing their strong will everywhere? Or that carriers of the mutant gene were being sterilized or worse, killed? Or that Ellis had finally managed to sign away the rights of millions of people and had jailed thousands of mutants in camps right now?

Logan watched the swirl with dismay. One sunny morning, sitting with Xavier quietly in the office as the Professor corrected papers for what may happen to be the final school year, the two were contemplating what went wrong at the same time. While Logan managed a seat by a window in solitude, Xavier felt guilt. The Professor should have known that Ellis would not meet with his peaceful ways and that their watchful behavior would be noticed somehow, especially since the women had been managing to rescue thousands of mutants and humans already. He should have listened to Roger, he mused, and allowed him to take the X-Men out to the field truly and shed their own blood.

But that had not been the point of the team, Xavier argued with himself. He wanted peace and to stop anything that was in the way of that. However, there was no way to anymore, the way he was going about it. He saw only hopelessness that many sought in Ellis and did not think there was much of a future. Ever since 1973, when he was destitute and without a care in the world, even for Hank (the only one who stayed with him during that dark decade alone), he felt a wave of grief wash over him, one that even he did not expect and acknowledged. He accepted the loss of Raven – Mystique – and the dreams of her coming home had been dim, although he was sure there was a way for her to escape and the rumors of her had not been true (Hank had yet to confirm). He did not think Erik – Magneto – was ever going to see his side of things, perhaps thinking of his own comeback when Ellis was at his weakest.

And his team? Well, it had been difficult to explain to anyone its disbanding, disbelieving as it had been. However, Xavier was more than willing to keep the same players and entertain the notion that time was on their side. Was it not the tide that always changed? It ebbed and flowed in certain ways and they were always shifting. Ellis would not be on the rise for long. It might be some years before someone took him on, but the country was already on the side of rebellion as millions of others flocked to Ellis. Xavier heard of uprisings, protests and mass arrests over the past few years, a notion that he thought could be blamed on one person. There was some hope, he saw. There was a light at the end of this darkness.

It was then that Xavier turned to Logan. His outer thoughts were all over the place, all of them mostly evolving around a young woman named Danielle Mitchell and how a night turned into a series of rushed words, quick kisses and promises to meet later, although none of them seemed to come true. Xavier could have chuckled had Logan not been alert to his surroundings. However, he was also sure that Logan was seeing that his feelings leaned towards the conflicting teenager, wishing that he did not have to fall in love with her. Logan's thoughts even ranged to protecting her the best he could, knowing that Ellis had his eyes on Danielle for some years now, to running away to Canada with her. Xavier knew that the borders had been closed. Incarcerated mutants had been forced into labor, building the walls that would define the lines between one country and the next. Alaska was even forced to erect one against Canada to its east, mutants dying by the day in the cold they were working in, unprotected and scared. And Hawaii? Xavier read in the newspapers that a naval blockade was enforced along the vacation islands.

As if sensing that Xavier was reading his intimate musings, Logan turned around, his mind and body blank. "What do you need me to do today?"

It had been a trivial question, one that Logan had asked millions of times before, and it startled Xavier. "What? Oh, nothing for now, Logan."

"Jean and Scott need to use the gym for their wedding and the reception."

"Of course they could. They could have asked me."

"They're young and stupid. They're also skittish. You can't blame 'em. Considering that anyone can crash in and we can't do anything about it…"

Logan allowed it to trail there. Xavier understood the point perfectly. Scott and Jean had not been talking about their wedding plans for some time now. Indeed, they preferred not to tell too many people anyway. They submitted any requests to Logan, knowing him to be the secret keeper (Scott was irritated about it too), and he gave them to whoever it was supposed to go to. So far, they managed to make Alex best man, Ororo as maid of honor and minimize the crowds to only those they know and not the whole school. It would be maybe twenty-five people maximum and a small dinner, something Hank managed to fire up.

In the end, Xavier nodded. "I understand, Logan. I was once their age and in love too."

"Yeah, so was I. I learned my lessons early on."

"I don't think you have, Logan. Every person has their needs. You just met one at the wrong place and time."

"I wasn't even referring to – wait a second." Logan stopped himself before he put himself in more trouble than he was in already. Jay had not breathed a word after finding him in bed with his sister, but even that blackmail hung heavy and shameful over Logan's head.

Xavier smiled warmly, laughter twitching at its corner with glee. "I can't say anything now, Logan. What's done is done. The choices are now in your hands."

Logan was about to respond, but he heard footsteps and an urgent knock. Xavier answered it lightly, his voice echoing to the outside. Danielle soon entered, closing the door behind her in a hush. Her face betrayed little of the turmoil outside, Logan noted, and it only flushed when seeing him. She asked for forgiveness in interrupting too, stating that she had been released from school and would not be going back again.

"Why?" Xavier asked, curious. "Are there no classes anymore?"

"No," Danielle replied nervously, twisting her thin hands that showed bruises and some cuts, something that caught both Logan and Xavier off guard for a second. What was more startling was the blood on her clothes. "I escaped."

"Escaped…from what?" Logan stood up, knocking over his chair and feeling alarm wash over him. The marks on Danielle were no mistake.

"They're taking away the mutants at the school," Danielle said, directing the answer to Xavier. "Police and some others came to the college today. They stormed through each class…used machines and dragged mutants out of their seats. I was outside when it all started. I ran for the nearest bus, shoved in by Matthew –"

"Riots?" Xavier shared the same feelings Logan, although he kept his fear underneath the façade of a professional teacher. He did not mean to interrupt Danielle though, wishing that she would forgive him just as he did to her.

"Without a doubt," Danielle whispered. "I don't know how many hurt or dead. Secretary Ellis is praising it though. I heard the news on the way back on the bus radio. He thinks it the best act in years."

Danielle soon felt her the blood drain from her face and her body sinking to the floor. Logan moved quickly to grab her, holding her limp figure in his arms. Xavier waved him away, motioning that he take her someplace where she could recover, and turned back to the same window Logan had previously been staring out of, thinking of the implications of the disaster. Logan did not stay long to talk either, choosing to exit. He held Danielle like a baby, hiding her from inquisitive and vengeful eyes with his body, and tried the nurses' station. He did not find Mae or Jean in there, seeing a note that they had gone to lunch and would be back soon. True, it was noontime, something that Logan was now cursing. Choosing instead of leave the two in oblivion this time, he turned around and scampered down the hallway, finding Danielle's room with Ororo and Jean. He ensured their privacy with the door locking behind him and laid Danielle on her bed, pushing her red hair from her face and crushing her hands into his, a warm glow from her hands connecting to his.

There was not a great second meeting alone, Logan figured, but that did not matter. He was concerned about the seventeen year old before him, using his thumbs to rub against her cooling skin. Color came back to Danielle's face slowly. Her breathing turned from shallow to gasps. Soon, she woke up and shot up, garbling something about running away. Logan immediately restrained her, reassuring her that she was at the mansion and that she was safe. He promised her that he would keep her safe and that he would be there always. After an hour of this, Danielle managed to calm down, relaxing enough to show that she was still herself. She sat back down on the bed, reaching for Logan like a child needing comfort. Logan responded instantly, seating himself beside her and holding her tightly. She returned the embrace and started crying, a cold emotion for her.

Around them, as Danielle sobbed, the walls of the large bedroom, started turning blue and silver and very water-like, same as the colors that tinged their bodies now. The waves around them started dripping like rain too, gathering around the floor like mist. This startled Logan for a second, but he soon realized that it was her powers that made her that way. It took another half an hour for Danielle to stop completely, although a few tears still managed to get past her tight shield. By then, she separated from Logan and tried her hardest not to go back into his arms. They seemed as safe as he said they would be, that together they would overcome this. However, she could not erase this memory.

Danielle had to get it off of her chest though. "Matthew has been arrested," she stated plainly, trying to distance herself from the situation.

Logan did not seem surprised. Matthew had been taken into custody so many times over the past five years that the kid knew everyone on the Salem Center police force and then some. He knew most of the state troopers and their families too, he had been in their care that long. They always asked Matthew what it was this time that got him into trouble, posted his bail somehow, made him sit if nobody came for him and even played card games with him in the cell. The way Danielle was placing it though…it did not seem like the normal routine with her cousin. Something had happened to Matthew Adams and it did not seem pretty.

"He was there, at the college," Danielle continued. "He and his friends knew that they would be chased off and they did not care. He knew that Secretary Ellis was around town and he wanted his voice heard. He…he and the others started name-calling when the campus police came by with pepper spray and guns, taking the mutants away and herding them into trucks. Then…I don't know what happened next, it went so fast. I hardly remember how it started too, Logan. That was the scary part. All I know is that I was outside watching the action and soon…soon, Matthew was next to me, taking me under his arms and pushing me forward."

"He was trying to protect you." The realization made Logan's heart sink. All those years ago, when he nagged at Matthew about keeping an eye out on Danielle…it paid off and perhaps with his life.

Danielle nodded. "There was a lot of fighting, especially when the mutants struggled. We had to push away a lot of people. I…I had to kill a few people so that we could get out. Matthew and I were running by then. There was so much going on, I could not tell whose blood was whose and I didn't care then. Finally, we came to the main road, where the buses and cars had been parked. They were being guarded by other policemen. Matthew took my knives and stabbed one, shoving me onto a bus. He gave me back my knives through the window. Told me to stay low and to get back to the school and to stay there. He then yelled for some other people to get on too, tossed some money at the driver for his troubles. Before I knew it, we were getting off of the school grounds. I didn't listen to Matthew though. I checked on him through the back door. He was getting beaten by some other guys and he seemed to be enjoying the fight. I saw someone put handcuffs on him when they subdued him. That was about the time I realized that he had been arrested and reveled in it. He's going to be deported. He'll go to a camp."

"He never cared about that," Logan pointed out, mesmerized by the story and feeling sadness for Ororo too. "Matthew did his job and he did it well. He made sure you were safe."

"I am." Danielle looked down to her hands, still covered in small wounds. "Logan, I – I was so scared. I don't think I had been more scared in my life. Even that rally so many years ago…I was not so scared then. I think today was the first time in my life I really was."

"I know." Logan took Danielle back in his arms, kissing her forehead. "I know, babe."

Danielle returned the kiss, this time on the lips, and returned to the warmth Logan offered her. At that moment, she never felt more loved too. She felt all of her fears melt and somewhat of a hopeful future ahead of her. She wished there was some plan to get away with Logan, but there was no point in it, if she had to face reality. There were too many others she cared about and could not leave behind, her brother and mother most of all. Family and friends were rooted in Salem Center and she had a life here. She could not leave it all behind, although if safety demanded it of her and Logan offered, her heart screamed that she should take the chance.

"I love you," Danielle admitted, words that she always said and never told in such a genuine tone before. "I love you, Logan. I always will."

Logan had to take a moment to collect his thoughts before answering. "I love you too, Danielle. I love you too."


	63. Our Greatest Fears

**November 30, 1996**

It had been a dismal Thanksgiving on that Thursday and a Black Friday the day before, especially with the presidential elections abolished and word had been scarce as to who the leader of the country was. Isolated as the mutants had been in the school, they tried their best to keep the school routine running and without disruption. Xavier especially was anxious about this, wishing that his students would be still despite the threat outside. Without much food, overcrowded and with a word from Ellis to take them away at any time, Xavier, Hank and Alex had been very nervous about the future they now held. Their hushed conversations talked of going into hiding or splitting up, something that they felt needed to be shared with the senior members of their group. Opting to bring in Logan, Jay and Roger for now, Alex sought them out and soon had them in Xavier's study on that Saturday afternoon.

Rain dripped outside, something that reminded Logan of Danielle's feelings, but that he had to ignore as he sensed the serious conversation ahead. He stood with Jay and Roger against Hank, Alex and Xavier, feeling something drastic was about to happen. He then looked to Alex, the most senior person at the moment, and waited until he took a deep breath and began.

"It's come to point in our lives that, until the threat to mutants and humans has been eliminated, we would have to decide what each of us need to do in order to keep safe," Alex started. "It has been said that now thousands of mutants are dying along the borders between Canada and Mexico, building a wall to separate us. California has been the state most tamed under Ellis, accepting mutants and humans who pass on the mutant gene and watching them die by the dozens. We are currently the most known school for mutants in the country. They will come for us in time, maybe years from now if we're lucky, but we need to decide what we should do for ourselves and our families."

"I am staying here," Xavier announced, something that did not surprise anyone.

"So am I," Hank added. "Somebody needs to remain here with Charles."

The unspoken words stayed with Hank though, a wild theory that played on everyone's mind, Xavier's most of all. For years, for over two decades really, he had been rumored to be in love with Mystique and had been pining after her, especially after 1983, when the world seemed to have fallen under the powers of Apocalypse and she had taken the lead of the X-Men. Although she had gone her own way with Magneto and had come back to him on and off as the years past, (having her own agenda and all), she was still a team member, although on the outside, and stayed as far away from Hank as possible when she could. Nobody knew if it was because of her feelings for him and vice versa or even because the two had been trying to avoid destiny. Hank staying behind may have been his way of being in one place and not searching for Mystique, so that she could find him, or a way to keep Xavier safe too, something he had been doing for almost three decades now.

"I opted to leave," Alex then said, something that made both Hank and Xavier uncomfortable. "Lorna has gone into hiding with her siblings and mother. I intend to keep them safe, although I'm sure Peter would be able to provide the same. I have also sent Jean and Scott ahead though, just in case. I don't want them around when the worst happens."

That had been an understatement, Logan thought. Alex had been trying to protect his brother for years now, although the achievement of others and his own underestimation had been Scott's own downfall and caused his bitterness. Besides, Scott had been through the worst already and had almost died a few times. There had been no need to send them ahead and put them into hiding, even when the population of students increased and the teachers declined little by little. Besides, the school had been their home. Jean was one of the most popular adults in the building (next to Ororo), a confidante to many girls and a model. Scott had been idolized by the boys, hoping that they would grow up to be a cool and collective leader like him. Leaving all of that had probably had been their last choice for the newly-married couple. Weeks before, the event had been small and one of the happiness Jean had had in years. Even Scott shone so brightly, grinning ear to ear as he took Jean into his arms. Now, they were considered criminals on the run.

"Mae knows that her brother will eye her next," Roger commented next, seeing quickly what was happening. "She has sent Gil to a safe house upstate, where he'll be out of sight and out of mind for my lovely brother-in-law. She and I will follow him soon. Gil currently residing with a cousin of mine up in the mountains. Nobody is going to be able to find us. Anyone is more than welcome to join us, although I might be in and out most months."

"We might take you up on the offer," Jay replied, something that made Logan's heart sink. He knew that Jay was referring to his mother and sister, a heartbreaking decision for a man who lost his wife and son within a year of each other. "I'm not planning on uprooting my mother and Danielle anytime soon though, maybe next spring, before Danielle turns eighteen. Currently, Mom is…well, not in the best condition to move someplace else. Warm weather usually perks her up. However, she might not have a choice if Ellis decides that we're next."

Alex then turned to Logan. "What are you planning, Logan?"

"Staying," Logan resolved, although his mind was childishly telling him not to let Jay take control over Danielle and seeing the time he possibly had left with her. "I can cover for the lack of supervision and still have the energy to chase the kids."

"We might need your help in sending a lot of them away," Hank observed, directing it to Logan. "I do not think Ellis has found my apartment building. Over the years, Charles and I have built a system of recover and emission. I am hoping that, old as it is, it will still be a way to allow the students freedom and to keep them from harm. I will have a test run sometime this week. Care to try it out?"

"Yes," Logan conceded. "I think it's a great idea."

Alex, Xavier and Hank exchanged quick glances with each other, all of them not expecting Logan to agree to it. After all, he had been on top of school security for years and had not liked anyone sneaking schemes behind his back or stepping on his toes. However, their next idea might not go over well and it was an idea that Xavier had. Logan might be able to handle the kids and keep them out of trouble, but he had never been with them on a more intimate level as they had except for Danielle and the three were sure that she was one he wasn't going to let go anyway.

"We also think that you'd be able to help us another way," Xavier began, something that piqued Logan's interest. "I am sure you understand that most of the teachers are leaving."

"I do." This was obvious to Logan.

"We would need more people to cover for them," Xavier continued. "In essence, we would need another teacher to cover the classes."

Logan's mouth opened to remark something sarcastic, but he chose not to. Instead, he asked, "Why me? I don't have some teaching certificate. I am not qualified to be with kids."

"Because we're shorthanded," Hank replied shortly. "Because we need everyone to play a part they are not sent out for. Because you're also knowledgeable in many other ways and not just in fighting. You've lived the longest out of all of us, Logan, and have more information in your mind than most people will in their lifetimes. You've battled in wars long gone and witnessed history all of us can read in a textbook. Wouldn't it be better for the students to hear of an account and not have to imagine it from a book?"

"A living relic of the past." Logan dismissed the thought with a wave of his hand. "Nobody is going to care about that."

"What difference would it make?" Hank inquired in return. "You are more than qualified just by being there. Read through the book, Logan. Give it a chance the rest of this year. It's going to be a major change for the children, but it might be worth it. It's already enough that they have to bid farewell to those they grew to love. The remedy might be substituting someone who would not take their silliness and keep them in line. You might not be sensitive to their feelings, but you can teach them."

Logan did not agree with that assessment and just nodded anyway. "I'll think about it. Have the book I supposedly need to follow?"

Xavier immediately pulled a thick tome from behind him from the bookshelf and handed it to Logan. He took it from the Professor's hands, chuckling when the title claimed to be the ultimate guide to history. He gazed through it, the pages emitting dust from all corners, and closed it, resolving to study it that night. He then nodded again to Xavier, this time consenting to be their pet for the time being. Wanted him as a security guard for the school after years of being on the run on and off? Not a problem. Spying on Ellis and trying his hardest not to kill the bastard? Check. That was easy enough. Be a teacher to kids who feared him? That might be a problem.

On the other hand, Jay and Roger thought that Hank and Xavier were joking. When they saw the seriousness of the situation, they both decided not to argue it. Instead, Jay glanced at Xavier with something that appeared to be interest. Especially after seeing Logan with Danielle in her bed together, he was finding the older mutant to be softening up. Asshole as Logan is to him (and Jay knew it firsthand, his dislike being purely on Danielle's part), he could not help but be amazed by the changes Logan had undergone. He could blame Danielle all he wanted, for Logan had been practically helping her for years now, and dismissed that thought. He credited Xavier instead, thinking that perhaps Logan was not as tough as he used to be because of the tutorage of everyone's school mentor.

 _Yes. That makes better sense._ Jay was certain of it.

Roger then cleared his throat. "Well, then, I should be on my way out soon. Would you need anything else from me, Charles?"

"Check in with Teller," Xavier ordered, something that seemed to have an undertone of mystery to it. "Bring Logan with you. I am sure he would need a plan in case something happened to him and Chameleon, although I am sure the latter is a survivor to the end."

"What do you mean?" Jay was alarmed. "My father does not need protection."

"No, he might not," Xavier admitted, "but I will still offer asylum nonetheless. Ellis would be cutting all loose ends soon enough. Now, Hank, would you mind turning on the radio? I want to hear some of the news."

Hank obliged, walking the few steps to the left and turning the knob to an old radio that Xavier always had on a table. He then twisted another dial to a station that was listened to often, waited for the static to clear and then backed away slowly as if frightened by the news that was coming out. Rightfully so, if Logan had to think about it too, because the newscaster was in the middle of a report concerning who was heading the country now. Although news of the election had been covered, the military was hindering voters and candidates alike, everyone knew that Ellis was behind everything, despite the lack of public word. He had been determined to be the only unchallenged person to the role that he was molding to his image and had built this upon the bodies of those he used and eventually had killed. With so much support behind him and little to halt his efforts, nobody had been able to stop him completely, not even the riots and protests daily that seemed weak in their work.

"Secretary Ellis today has announced that, with no one to hold the reins of government in a more permanent way, he will assume the position of president of this country with no word on when his tenure will end," the newscaster announced after a few minutes of listening to a report about a demonstration about rights that took place in San Francisco. "Feeling the need to keep control to a country that has been reeling since a mutant attack over a decade before that nearly destroyed New York City, the secretary has been slowly proving that he has been the man to direct the affairs of this country, with or without the mutants. Currently proving the president, Clinton, has been lacking in his position of power, Ellis has already called for his impeachment before his term ends in January."

The six men were already on the edge. The report was not hopeful. Indeed, it was everything that they had feared and solidified their plans.

"In addition, Ellis has been calling the end of Congress and the Supreme Court," the reporter continued. "Although the two powers had been cooperative with Ellis and his demands, the secretary has been careful in not offending them before a possible abolishment. In the meantime, as the Supreme Court debates on the rights of mutants and human in this country, Ellis has been gearing the military for action. The next question is what this leader will do next. More details will be available at the next hour, when Ellis is scheduled to speak before the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Now, back to San Francisco, where police have been now reported to be throwing tear gas at the protesters. Naming equality as their focus, the thousands that are now crowding around both the Haight and Ashbury streets and are said to be looting stores as they turn corners. Journalist Jake Elliot is out on the scene…"

It was then that Hank moved to turn the radio off. His fuzzy blue fingers lingered over the knob for a second before turning back to the group before him. Their collective faces of horror told him everything. Logan moved forward, the only brave one to do so, and put a shaky hand on Hank's shoulder. It was a reassuring gesture, Hank knew, and one that he needed, a time like this making his faith in humanity lessen. He then smiled at Logan weakly, putting his blue hand on top of Logan's in friendship

"I think we should try out that system of yours now," Logan suggested.

"Yes, I think we should." Hank then turned to Roger, Alex, Jay and Xavier and trying not to focus on the rain beyond them. "I really think we should start now."


	64. It's Too Real

Over the course of two weeks, it had not taken long for Ellis to get comfortable in his new position as head of the United States government. His speech at the Capitol Building, with so many hecklers booing him as the rest clubbed them to death, demanded that one and all eradicate the mutant race. There was no doubt in his mind that his views blinded him, but it had been worse that he condemned those who disagreed as criminals. He loudly praised the efforts of those people who killed the protesters, stating before moving on in his speech that it had been for the good of the country and that he was proud to see the people rise for him and ensure his position as the leader of this free country.

With millions now behind him, Ellis managed to handle the arrests of everyone in Congress that opposed him. While both House and Senate had been readying themselves for the Christmas recess that would end in January, both had been surprised to see police and civilians alike at their office doors, with arrest warrants in their hands and weapons pointed at their heads. Most had surrendered easily and without resistance while some had challenged the orders and either were severely hurt or had been killed. In all, four hundred and thirty-nine politicians had been jailed under Ellis, the current president and his wife included. Their families had been put under house arrest, their aides thrown into another cell and those who voted for them traced. Ellis was not sparing anyone. He wanted to eliminate them all, even the people who claimed this land as their home.

Worse had been the justices who stood firm against the secretary. While all nine of them had declared Ellis and his actions unconstitutional, they faced a fire. Immediately upon hearing those words the day after his speech at Capitol Hill, Ellis again took his followers to the next target with gasoline and lighters and torches. With words that stated how treasonous the actions were and how the laws had been broken even by those who stood by it, the newly self-appointed government head screamed that they would suffer the same flames as those who did not convert to Christianity hundreds of years before. The first to start the fire, Ellis urged everyone to copy his lead, watching with glee as the Supreme Court building and its inhabitants were turned into ashes by dawn of the next day.

Logan sat and watched the news on TV with Danielle and her family at the farmhouse, invited in order to keep protection around the family. While Jay and Shannon had been silent and could not voice their shock, Danielle and Ororo (who had started hiding out with the Mitchell family and chose to stay behind) stared and exclaimed in tones that told Logan that they had been discussing it for a long time and could not believe it still. He himself kept his mouth shut, thinking that remaining silent would gain him more information, and indeed, that had paid off. While Jay and Shannon went into a corner to discuss plans for leaving in the next year, Ororo and Danielle had made sure that they would not be heard and went into a corner themselves.

Logan sat on the couch, a beer in his hands (happily handed to him by Jay), and decided that Ororo and Danielle would be the better conversation. After all, Shannon was in hysterics and muttering about doom already and Jay was calming her down, leading her to the kitchen and explaining that all will be well. Ororo started whispering to Danielle that she knew of other mutants that asked to be rescued and that she had talked to Hank about it. Hank was willing to take more on, but he was cautious and did not want Xavier to notice the extra people they took on and were housing in their secure system. Danielle appeared like she wanted to explode in anger, hissing that it was dangerous to take on more people and asking Ororo whose idea it was to bring on more people. They offered all the people they could shelter and could not keep taking on more.

"It was Teller," Ororo revealed slowly. "He is not leaving his bar yet."

"Why?" Danielle was incredulous. "Why would he not leave yet? He'll be the first on the list to go."

"Because he feels there is some hope," Ororo replied. "He is expecting to hold out until May or June. In the meantime, he will at least continue working on allowing all of the mutants he can to leave. Hank already has a path out of the country."

"What? I did not know." Danielle was not disappointed in the revelation, but she was pleased to hear of a route out of the United States.

"Yes," Ororo said, "and very few people know."

Danielle did not even have to look at Logan. _I know you're listening, Logan. I also think you knew about this. Don't bother pretending to be innocent. You are listening to us._

Logan snorted and took another sip of beer. _Yeah, right. Carry on, babe._

Danielle rolled her eyes. "Storm, are you sure we can get away with this? We cannot go on like this."

"No, we can't," Ororo agreed, "but we can't allow Ellis to find the remaining mutants. Anything we can do to ease their suffering, we can do. I can't see them hurt as they do elsewhere. They'll be exiles, but at least they're out of the country."

"We cannot allow our hands to be seen. Ellis would see us as a threat once more."

"I know, Danielle, but they're not being seen and we're fine in this operation. Hank reassured us of this."

"If you are sure…"

"And we need you, Danielle. You are popular with the people at Teller's bar. Take advantage of that again."

"I can't, Storm. I can't."

"They miss you."

"They miss the _three_ of us, you mean."

"They liked you best," Ororo argued. "You need to be there."

"You want me to pretend that I'm just a patron?"

"Yes. I don't think another underage drinker would be noticed unless Ellis sees all of us there at the same time. You have a knack for music and lighting, Danielle. This is more of your life than mine. You have a reputation to uphold too."

This made Danielle think for a moment. "You have a point," she conceded. "However, how will I be protected? It's suicide to go in there with just Teller and to rush off with more mutants. It's also worse if there are more of us in there."

"You can bring Logan," Ororo suggested, something she made with a straight face. She knew of Danielle's discreet outings with Logan and it did not take a genius to figure out that they were both in love with each other and trying their hardest not to show it or go forward. Ororo had other suspicions though and would leave them alone for now.

"I could," Danielle said, "and that could bring attention too."

"Not the wrong kind," Ororo replied indifferently.

"No," Danielle admitted. "However, I'm not the one waiting."

"What are you talking about?" For a skin tone darker than a normal person, Ororo's face turned a bright red very easily.

"Matthew," Danielle plainly stated. "I know you kept saying that the school was your home and that you can't leave. However, Jean and Scott left with Alex and this had been their home. Why are you so different?"

"Alex and Scott are also family and very close to each other, despite their age difference, the same with you and Jay," Ororo pointed out. "Also, Lorna is always on Alex's mind, burning him or not. Her family is his family and vice versa. I don't have anybody."

"You could have gone with Matthew." The statement stung the way Danielle intended it to, seeing a deeper blush on her friend's cheeks. If Ororo loved her cousin as much as she claimed, Ororo could have been at that college riot and been arrested with him. Love was supposed to be conquering all, she reasoned, and Ororo had not been the greatest at showing that.

"Yes, and have gotten jailed too," Ororo said. "What good would that have done?"

"At least you two would have been together."

"Oh, Danielle!" Ororo sighed. "You don't understand. I wanted to. Matthew did not want me near him and told me to stay at the school when he was protesting. He's just as evasive as his cousins."

"I am not and neither is Jay." The argument seemed to be going in circles and Danielle needed to let up on something soon. "Ok, so if I go to Teller's, then will you leave me alone?"

"As much as I can." Ororo finally smiled, the red in her face receding. Her side had won. "I think we can organize you to start heading back there by tomorrow night. You don't have classes anymore, so I did not think it would matter."

"No, it doesn't." Even kicked off the campus as she was, Danielle missed going to college and what it curtailed. However, she could not face that sort of fighting again, even if her hands twitched to use her knives.

 _No, it could not happen again._ That much Danielle was certain of.

"Let me head out," Ororo announced, seeing that the news had died down on the television and that they were finally on the weather. "It's getting dark. I'm also sure the Professor is worried about me. Think your brother can give me a ride back?"

"Sure." Danielle peered over Ororo's shoulder and motioned to Jay. Their minds spoke of bringing Ororo home and said nothing of Logan yet, although his name hung between them and Jay wanted him gone.

Jay, who had put Shannon off to bed while Danielle and Ororo debated and was reassured that Shannon would not kill herself yet, soon announced that he would bring Ororo home. He asked Logan if he needed a ride back. While Logan had walked over to the farmhouse, he was not averse to doing it again. He declined for now, sure that he would behave himself with Shannon in the house, and said his goodbyes to Ororo. Indeed, Logan was not sure when he would be leaving the Mitchell household. He planned on leaving before Jay came back, just so that he did not get any ideas, and have a quick word with Danielle too. He patiently waited the few minutes it took for Jay to get his motorcycle out, cold as it was outside. He then sat there with his beer still as Danielle walked Ororo out and heard the roar of Jay's engine. Danielle waved them farewell, her arm's shadows playing on the living room walls, and she came back inside, chilly and kicking her shoes and coat off. She came back to the living room and turned the television off, gazing at Logan as she stood before him.

"What do you want?" Logan asked, although he had an idea of what the answer was.

"You," Danielle replied, sighing as she sat beside Logan. He put his arm around her and kissed her on top of her head. "I don't know what to do though. Jay wants to migrate soon and wait out the chaos."

"I can't stop him," Logan told her. "It's up to you to leave with him or stay."

"He might change his mind, but I doubt it." Danielle spoke as if Logan had not before her. "He doesn't want to stay in Salem Center much longer, although Mom does not want to leave. She imagines dying here in a few years. I can't blame her and him. I feel stuck though. I feel compelled to stay here, where it's familiar. On the other hand, I want to be safe and to be with my family."

The unspoken thought remained between the two. Danielle was telling Logan in her way that she wanted to stay with him. She just could not say it out loud. She could not understand these feelings yet and had no room to explore them. However, she was so concerned about her family that she might miss out on developing this new sort of relationship with Logan. She was so tied to both groups and was confused. Being in Logan's arms just made it worse. She had an allegiance she vowed to first – her mother and Jay. Logan had just come along in her life so long ago and had somehow made a way to ease some difficulties in her life. She could not explain to anyone how it advanced into something that resembled love, an ache that made her close to tears when she thought of leaving it.

"You go where your heart tells you to," Logan declared to Danielle, although his own heart was telling him that responsibility and love were in two different directions. She was a target if Ellis' lust had not abated for her and he had to do something to make her disappear, even if it meant years apart.

"I may have to," Danielle replied, snuggling closer to Logan, although she still felt his stiff reluctance. "Logan…what are we though? Do you really love me? Do you _really_ believe in my love?"

"It's a tough thing to describe," Logan allowed, feeling awkward when put on the spot like that. "Danielle, you're a young woman with everything ahead of you. I don't understand why you would want to spend what little of your life you have with me. I'm one hundred and sixty-four years old and still going and might be for years yet. Compared to you, it's a long time I wish I didn't have to live. You lose track of what you can live for and why."

"I can live as long as I wish, so don't you cop out on me," Danielle retorted tearfully. "You don't understand that, do you?"

Again, Logan was faced with the tears and the threat that the emotions might attract more attention. While he realized that they rarely fell with Danielle, he still allowed himself to be suckered in, wiping the occasional one that came down on her face. "I am not," he answered gently just as the blue and silver energy was sucked back into Danielle. "I am trying to get why someone as young as you would want me."

"Because you are _you_ ," Danielle explained. "Because you have never changed over the years. You are true to yourself and want to be better than what you used to be. You want this world to change in a good way for everyone and to be left unmolested in your own life. Except something changed inside of you and a spark turned into a fire."

"And that fire never died, darlin'." Logan kissed Danielle on her head one more time before detangling himself and getting up, his beer finished. "Maybe when you're older, I will tell you. Until then, let's just say that yes, it's real and yes, I love you too. Enough for now?"

Danielle smiled as a reply, now watching Logan place the bottle on the counter and leave. She did not follow him outside as she did with Ororo. She only eyed him curling into his leather jacket tighter, crossing the street to the neighbor's property, empty for now, and disappear back into the woods. She was sure he was heading back to the school or perhaps heading to Teller's for the night. Whatever Logan did, Danielle seemed sure that they had something and that, ever since they spent that day together and he left her bed after a night of acquaintance, he was hesitant in continuing. It was her age, Danielle concluded, and he was only biding his time to see where she would go.

Logan, like Danielle, had been through a lot of heartbreak in a short span of time. It was all over his body and mind, Danielle sensed, and while specifics not had been forthright, it did not matter. All she wanted was to make his life complete and to never leave him. She was willing to keep herself at the same ago forever and to die when he did, just so that they had a decent amount of time together. For, after all, a young woman who was dead set on a man was a treacherous one too…and one that would never give up.


	65. The Final Push

**June 4, 1997**

After six months of cooperating with Ellis and his demands, a final push had to be made. While Xavier had ordered everyone to keep their heads down and others went into hiding, some had been busy trying to work up the remaining crowds against Ellis. That had been Roger Mortimer's favorite part of the spring progress, he thought. After he and Mae escaped to northern New York, near the Canadian border and in the middle of nowhere, he had been plotting. While his men still remained loyal to him and others had been captured and sent to camps for their so-called treason, he schemed about how to turn the tide. While he did not say much to Xavier and Hank except to watch the news often, he recruited some others to make the plan go smoother, namely Logan, Jay, Danielle and Ororo. As his agents when he bothered to contact them, they stayed in Salem Center and monitored activities from their perches.

All of them had been situated with Teller and sometimes Chameleon, when that asshole bothered to show himself (and so far, Logan alone had been able to see and talk to him). Danielle was the darling of the crowds, Ororo was her lighting assistant and sometimes a waitress whose ass was pinched, Logan was still the local drunk who would not get buzzed and Jay was the bouncer who took no bullshit. Roger thought them a good team, if he had to be honest with himself, and only used them when he needed to. After all, he had maybe seventy other men and women under him that did the dirtier work that Xavier and Hank would never consent to. Already, he managed to prompt those who were discontent with Ellis to an insurrection of an epic proportion and make it more organized than it used to be. After all, what fun was there without it? It just meant a civil war, which was what rocked all fifty states, from warm and cozy Hawaii to cold and forbidding Alaska and even conservative Maine and Florida.

Sitting as he did in the mountains of New York in relative safety, Roger still worried. Although the unofficial start of summer was just the week before, he still felt that what he started – a voice that sparked a carried idea – was not enough. While Logan and Jay had reported that Salem Center was unchanged and their people still idolizing Ellis and leading the way, Roger felt he had little time left. He sat at his desk writing some missives one morning and did not realize that his own wife had snuck up behind him. Mae put her arms around Roger, feeling secure with him at long last. They were far away from civilization, where nobody knew a house existed, and they were together as a family. While she suspected that Roger was always up to no good and causing more trouble, she still appreciated his efforts in staying with her and Gil.

"What are you doing?" Mae asked softly, aware that there were people behind them that still listened and gossiped.

"Nothing you need to be concerned about," Roger immediately responded. "Woman, don't you know to leave me alone when I'm on business?"

"Don't you know how to be a family?" Mae let go of Roger and stood up straight. She sounded annoyed with Roger's work, regardless of when and how he did it. "You can't keep using everyone in Salem Center. It's a hotbed of politics and it's sinister and vicious down there. You're sacrificing children in the name of this operation you like to keep running."

"They're not all children," Roger pointed out. "Danielle is eighteen as of today, hardly a child anymore. Ororo Munroe is twenty-five and Jay is twenty-eight. And Logan? _Really_ , woman? Who the hell knows how old he is. Mae, this isn't about making sure your brother is dead for his deeds. It's about the future of us. It might spread to other countries, make us –"

"All outlaws?" Maw challenged. "I'm sure. However, Leon isn't making friends on the outside and he was never good at it. Leave him alone and let nature do its work, will you?"

"And allow us to be a target? Never." Roger shuffled some of his papers, hiding them so that Mae was not incriminated too. He then stood up and turned around. "There might be a chance that Leon will turn his eyes here and we will be sorry then. Better to fight than to cower. As his sister, you would have known that."

Mae flushed red. "Of course I do! Why do you think I've been escaping him my whole life? Do you think I need his grimy hands on our family?"

"No," Roger agreed. "However, Mae, I need you to trust me. It might be some time before your brother gets his death wish. It might be next week, next year or some twenty years later. At this moment, action depends on a balance and it's very thin. Right now, I need the scales tipped towards us, even if Leon happens to have his way. That way, he'll have hell for the rest of his days. It's the least I can do for his reign of terror."

"Is that it?" Mae had calmed down, seeing Roger's logic. "You're having your revenge and using the four for your means?"

"Yes. I'd advise that you stay out of the way. Send all the letters you want to Danielle. I know you love her for Shannon's sake because you too want to protect her. However, they're also using Teller as their smoke screen and he realizes this. I have yet to determine which side of the coin Chameleon is on. He has been hot and cold to Ellis the past few years and has been quiet, although reports have placed him at that damned property and burning bodies. His hands have blood all over them. He can go to either side and die no matter what he chooses."

"Wait…Teller has been on our side?"

"Shh, woman! Yes, he has been on our side for some time now. Logan persuaded him to be a double agent."

"That's dangerous, Roger. It'll mean his death. Phineas Teller will not be able to escape Leon."

"He's also a survivor, Mae. Him and Chameleon and Logan and all of them…they'll be able to survive this. All it boils down is getting this country's people enraged enough to start that civil war. It'll be the perfect gift for Leon."

"I see." Mae did not like the idea, but did not see another way to take her brother down. "Now, you want to see what Gil did?"

"Sure." Roger saw a potential in his stepson in computers and actually encouraged him often. "Give me a minute? I need to finish up."

Mae did not like the answer, but she accepted it nonetheless. Departing from the room left Roger the chance to glance out the window near the desk. It was still midmorning, the warm sunshine like a balm to his old soul. Putting his hands behind his back, Roger stood before the window, thinking of the four he left behind and might be captured. Teller and Chameleon he could honestly care less about because they were disposable. However, anyone he cared for were those he worried the most about, Logan most of all actually. He saw the drama between him and Danielle and did not envy the man. It was a harsh man who could stand another loving the only woman he cares for, but a worse one that actually could not save her. Ellis was on his way to Salem Center, hoping to quell the upcoming rising that Roger had begun. And all it needed was a few rumors and that rest worked it out…

 _Don't fail me now. Remember your mission._ Roger begged in his mind that the four recalled what they were left for and it wasn't just for the school. He prayed fervently, something he hardly did, that anything done worked, even if it took years to keep hold…and that his brother-in-law would fall and fall hard.

~00~

Even though the classes hardy happened five days a week anymore, Logan still woke up before six in the morning, washed his face, combed his unruly hair and tried to appear professional. It was tough at first and the kids bothered him to no end, but it was easier as time passed, even after six months of being introduced as some lame history teacher. Most of them had found Logan the paragon rebel, curious as to why he was at the school to begin with and how he became an instructor in a class nobody liked. As time passed though, the kids seemed to get used to his gruff behavior, the way he corrected the textbook constantly and even played games. They never asked him personal questions anymore, most of them aimed at his love life, and paid more attention to their work. That alone at least made Xavier and Hank pleased.

Today was no different. Classes in the morning and one in the afternoon and all of the students happy to be there. After correcting some essays he assigned, Logan was supposed to lead the way back to Teller's bar, where it all started. It was the safest place to be at the moment (which confused even Logan), considering what Roger had planned, and it would be an easy escape too. After all, it was Roger's men that would be stopping the food trucks that came to Salem Center and killing all of the men in there. They would also be hijacking the supply trucks too, to ensure that all essential items never made it to town. In the center of support for Leon Ellis, it had been essential to spur the movement to bring him down. Discontent, disease and death were always the factors that led to action, something that Roger was willing to continue.

It was plain and simple guerilla warfare, something Hank and Xavier had been avoiding this entire time, and it felt oddly right. Logan had to admit that it could have been done sooner, but everyone had been afraid that it would make them the worst out of the sides drawn. Indeed, inaction had made them the disgusting race right now and it might work in their favor too. Logan had to thank Xavier for that, even if he allowed Magneto and his Brotherhood – his best friend and enemy all at once – a little action when it was needed.

Logan soon was washed and dressed, something he dreaded each time since the pants and shirt always felt tight and restricting around his body. He then exited his bedroom, papers and books in his arms, and headed to his classroom before his class arrived. The late spring sunshine blossomed into pure light as time passed, something he enjoyed. It also reminded him what day it was, even as the school year was less than ten days away from ending and perhaps for good. It was Danielle's eighteenth birthday, a day she looked forward to since it now marked her as an official adult despite feeling that way for years. Tonight, she had the special gift, all thanks to Teller, of being the first singer on the set and enjoying a masked dance afterward. Logan had no patience for follies like that, but he was going for her sake.

Hell, he had to. Logan was in agony, his mind reeling from loving Danielle and waiting until she was older. Now, it did not seem so dishonorable to have her, even though being eighteen still did not seem right to Logan. He still hurt from that one time they shared, the best day he had in years (he had to admit that it was the truth). It went from a kiss to sex in seconds and soon turned into sneaking around the Mitchell property in the late afternoon, having Danielle strip naked in her old treehouse and then heading back to her bedroom and doing it again. Logan had been deliriously happy and utterly stupid that day and he admitted to Jay that he loved his sister. There was no great disgrace in saying that, although older siblings will always be protective.

However, that conflict would always play out in his mind, even when Danielle was older. She always would be there for him, protesting that she was in love with him. God, it would not be long before Logan would fall completely under that spell and be in love too, despite wanting to keep his feelings at bay. Being in love was a liability and one he could not afford, although he would kill Ellis if he so laid a hand on Danielle and showed her any disrespect. That much Logan could promise to himself.

Like clockwork, students began to filter into the classroom. Logan watched them enter, counting who came in and who might give him excuses on their missed homework. Behind his mind though, a dancing figure played there, one with red hair and eyes that changed colors, according to her powers. She was also blowing kisses his way and wishing him to come closer. A play on his imagination, Logan dismissed, and he tried pushing that away too as his class lecture began. He took the floor easily enough, describing another civil war from over a hundred years ago, his first to fight in and one that he shed so much blood that he swam in it. However, that one woman continued to plague him, even after descriptions of marches in the south and the rattle of gunfire deterred him from that fantasy.

* * *

 **I know it's been a few days since it was released, but who has seen this new trailer that almost mirrors the Comic Con bit? THIS GIRL DID! I am so excited about it and am hoping we get more soon. In the meantime, I am thankful for all of you who have been reading this story thick and thin and going through the series too. This chapter is for all of you. THANK YOU!**


	66. She Will Be Loved

_Down at the beach, you holding my hand,  
Got an umbrella stuck in the sand.  
Watching the waves crash into the shore,  
Baby, I want some more…_

 _Hey, what a beautiful day!  
All I need is a taste,  
Nothin' but a good time…  
Sippin' on sunshine.  
No, don't got nowhere to go,  
So we'll go with the flow.  
Yeah, we're living the life,  
Sippin' on sunshine…_

Teller was readying the dance floor as Danielle sang what might be her final set at the bar before the worst possibly came to Salem Center. He was sure that Ellis was coming with an army of men, ready to take on Roger's if seen or to so something more despicable. He also was picturing a scene at the school too, something he had warned Xavier about earlier in the day. Apparently, the Professor was aware that activity had been going on, despite his orders, and refused to be a part of it…vocally anyway. Teller was sure that Xavier was bidding his time, just like everyone else was, and that he would wait for the opportune moment to strike after Ellis had his fill.

In the meantime, Teller had his own plans. Chameleon had already cleared out of the bar hours before, back to his days of roaming the country in search of mercenary work, perhaps willing to take pot shots at the big men. He chose not to face Ellis directly and promised Teller that he'd be back when the time was right, when he had a good aim of Ellis' head. Teller himself had a position with Roger Mortimer, something offered to him by courier this morning. His bar was still his own, not being taken from Ellis and all, and mail would be forwarded to a PO Box somewhere in New York City without much security watching it. Teller would be traveling north to meet with the Mortimer family and plan from there.

As for the four people remaining in his keep…Teller did not know what would happen to them. Jay and Danielle might be in Ellis' hands before long, Logan back to being a nomad and Ororo maybe a prisoner like Fiona still is. It all depended on how the evening would end. Even if Roger's men had failed in their mission and word still got out, especially with all of the rumors of riches with Ellis that Roger so artfully sent out, then the people would still hold that against the man, especially since so many were poor, hungry and without jobs now that there was no control in the government. If Ellis got there in time and managed the gossip circles, then their deeds of the past six months meant nothing, especially to the women up there, one of them making the show and the other keeping up the illusion.

Soon though, Danielle's set ended and the applause continued for some ten minutes before she managed to leave, flowers in her arms and a smile on her face. Ororo dimmed the lights, playing some radio music for a few minutes, and waited for Teller to announce the next act, some band that had been struggling for years and hardly had a gig in the three years they had been playing. He heard of them and took pity, fool that he was, and found them to be likeable and generally good people. Whether or not they were mutants or humans did not matter to him. All that did was that their music was good, that the tune would hold to a masked party and that they would ask no questions. It was great business.

Within minutes though, with no noise outside, Teller had no choice but to announce the new band. Already, crowds of people had donned their masks and had started dancing, clamoring for the live act. When Teller saw them tuning their instruments behind the curtain, he took his cue. Wiping his sweaty hands on the nearest towel, he managed to get his old legs working to the stage, standing in the center as Ororo paused the sound and placed a spotlight on the old man. Stroking his hairy cheeks hiding the black diamonds, Teller scanned the audience quickly, awaiting for the moment when the screen will rise and this band take over.

"Ladies and gentlemen…if I can call you that," Teller finally began, slowly and surely. "I never feel the need to introduce a band anytime, ever since this joint opened back in 1972. However, this one is special to me and it might be to you as well. Now, I am pleased to present…Kara's Flowers!"

Teller then exited, just as light exploded onto the stage and the five members of the band started. It was catchy, Teller had to admit, and something to dance to. Immediately, his gaze went back to the counter, where Logan was. He played along with the masquerade, Teller noticed, and saw how he walked awkwardly to the woman who previously sang on stage. Taking Danielle Mitchell into his arms, the two twirled between the other patrons and blended in perfectly into the crowds that were oblivious to the outside world's activities. Teller only went back to the counter, mask on too, and watched the show with ease. He did not have to hear the pair talk to each other. It was easy to see how much they were in love and exact words did not mean anything in this case.

 _Beauty queen of only eighteen,  
She had some trouble with herself.  
He was always there to help her,  
She always belonged to someone else._

 _I drove for miles and miles  
And wound up at your door.  
I've had you so many times,  
But somehow I want more…_

 _I don't mind spendin' everyday  
Out on your corner in the pourin' rain.  
Look for the girl with the broken smile.  
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile.  
And she will be loved, she will be loved…_

Meanwhile, Logan had been daring. This night had been pretty special, even if he knew horrible things were happening soon. Class after class that day had plagued him, anxious and impatient for it to be nighttime and for the party. Although none of it was in Danielle's honor (her birthday being this night), it was all still a cover for Roger. He passed Ororo and Jay dancing, his arm steadying her shaky showy body, and did not need to ask Danielle for her hand. She glanced up from her position near the tables, flowers dropping from her arms, and grinned through her performer's mask, taking Logan's offered hand and allowing him to lead her to the floor.

"Happy birthday," Logan managed to say through his face cover when they were in a place where nobody could quit hear them.

"Thank you," Danielle replied, her hazel eyes shining in the blue and green lights.

"Have an interesting day?"

"Interesting? I would say exciting. The Professor offered me the music department."

"I would think that a present enough."

"I'd say! I am so happy, Logan! It's like a dream come true. The Professor did not care for the degree anymore. He thought it easier to fill in places instead of searching high and low for a person who was academically appropriate."

"You've also been in there for years."

"Well, that too, I suppose. However, it's the best I can get in the interim, before this blows over."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I've decided not to leave…without you. Jay wants to send Mom ahead to Mae, so she has company, but feels the need to stay here a little longer. Jay has some unfinished business in Salem Center."

"Fiona?"

"I think so. There's hope. I guess that's what we all need anyway."

Logan grinned in a silly way. Danielle leaned in for a kiss, something Logan recognized quickly, and he moved away to keep his distance. His heart was pounding hard though. Even through their disguises, it had been tantalizing to see Danielle in such a way. She wore shorts and a tank top that revealed her navel and the tattoo of _Nevermore_ on her lower back. She was tanned under the gaze of more than a million more colored lights, her raven tattoo calling out from her shoulder and the black widow dancing in its web. Her arms had been draped no jewelry, her hands flickering the same blue and silver mist that ran towards Logan in a caressing way. Around her neck was a necklace though, something that Logan had not seen before. Although Jay's dogtags had been visible enough (a recent acquirement, Logan assumed), a sun and moon pendent hung next to each other on one chain. The sun and moon seemed like twins though, two pieces tied to one person that held it all together – like night and day.

 _Tap on my window, knock on my door,  
I want to make you feel beautiful.  
I know I tend to get so insecure.  
It doesn't matter anymore…_

 _It's not always rainbows and butterflies.  
It's compromise that moves us along, yeah.  
My heart is full and my door's always open.  
You can come anytime you want, yeah._

 _I don't mind spendin' everyday  
Out on your corner in the pourin' rain.  
Look for the girl with the broken smile.  
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile.  
And she will be loved, she will be loved.  
And she will be loved, she will be loved._

Once more, they passed Jay and Ororo. Jay gave Logan a dirty look when he saw the older mutant finger the necklace with the sun and moon. Dogtags be damned, Logan thought. The other bit was more interesting. He touched the cold metal pieces with his warm hands as Danielle bristled, noting that her name as well as Jay's graced the back of each pendant, birth dates on them. Danielle was the moon and Jay was the sun.

"Your mother's?" Logan asked softly.

"Yes," Danielle confirmed. "She gave it to me today. She was starting to clean out her room."

"She's not preparing to die, is she?"

"Mom always looks at death. I would assume the worst in her."

Logan noted Danielle's tart tone and frowned. "You know I did not mean it that way. I was curious."

"Of course." Danielle put a finger to Logan's lips and tried turning his frown into a smile. She tried grinning herself, her heart still breaking with her upcoming decision. "Don't worry about it. Honestly, what worries me the most is _us_. What are we, Logan? What am _I_? You say you love me. You're also backing away from me like I'm a plague at the same time. You're hot and cold all at once. I've been truthful from the start. What about you do the same for a change?"

"I told you I'd say something when you're older," Logan replied, wanting to avoid this conversation and enjoy the moment he spurred himself towards.

"I _am_ older, you ancient asshole," Danielle pointed out. "I can understand more than you think and just stay quiet about it. Dammit, I am a person with feelings, Logan, not a child's toy you can play with when you want to. Is it because I am too young?"

"Yes," Logan finally admitted. The weight felt light off of his shoulders now although the truth hurt badly. "I've love you for some time now, Danielle. I couldn't act on it. You're too young."

"I'm eighteen now." Danielle grew quiet, tipping her head back to hide her tears. She felt her powers want to come out, but she stilled them, especially with Jay on the other end of the room pulling on them with glee. "You can openly love me now, Logan. You told me to prove you wrong and I seemed to have done it, even though there was little prompting on my part. There isn't any shame in loving me."

"With your brother, I am not so sure," Logan pointed out.

"I can deal with him," Danielle said confidently. "He's just gonna have to learn to live."

Logan glanced at Ororo and Jay one more time. While Ororo was enjoying the music and generally being free from the restraints of being a mutant, Jay was using the time to shoot Logan more dirty looks and his hands, behind Ororo's back, made figure of blue and silver, all of them knives and swords. Logan did not care, shaking his head with Jay's ignorance. However, with Danielle's carefree confidence that shone through, there was some hope. She had decided to stay. It seemed that way if Xavier offered her the music department and she wasn't mentioning going into hiding.

"Does this mean you're not leaving without me?" Logan decided to tease, leaning closer as Danielle tipped her head back towards him.

As a response, Danielle got closer and kissed Logan on the lips. This time, the electric shock wasn't in her hands, which tinged blue and silver and swirled like a light fog around them at the time she learned towards Logan. It was on her mouth and transferring from her lips, traveling from Logan's lips and down through his body. It transplanted him to the floor, the two stopped in a slow moment in time. While the others crawled around them, their gesture left them both breathless and wanting more, never minding that they were causing a scene.

 _I know where you hide alone in your car,  
Know all of the things that make you who you are.  
I know that goodbye means nothing at all.  
Comes back and makes me catch  
Her every time she falls…_

 _Yeah, tap on my window, knock on my door,  
I want to make you feel beautiful…_

 _I don't mind spendin' everyday  
Out on your corner in the pourin' rain, oh.  
Look for the girl with the broken smile.  
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile.  
And she will be loved, she will be loved.  
And she will be loved, she will be loved._

 _Please don't try so hard to say goodbye.  
I don't mind spendin' everyday  
Out on your corner in the pourin' rain…  
Please don't try so hard to say goodbye…_

The music ended at the same time that the kiss did. "Was that good enough?" Danielle asked Logan, their arms still entwined in each other even after everyone else had left the floor.

"You have got to be kidding me," Logan remarked, still smarting from that hard kiss. "That was more than good. It was perfect."

And that was when Logan led Danielle off of the floor, still holding her tightly, and stopped her in a corner. Then, out of sight of everyone this time, they kissed again, hungrier for each other.

* * *

 **The lyrics are (in order of appearance) Avril Lavigne's "Sippin' on Sunshine" and Maroon 5's "She Will Be Loved". Just to note, before 2002 and long before _Songs About Jane_ was released, Maroon 5 was actually known as Kara's Flowers.**


	67. Broken Apart

The next morning seemed bright and cheery, even before breakfast and coffee. Logan woke up, anxious to greet the day and without the usual grumbles too, and shook Danielle's feet when he got out of the bed. She decided to spend the night with him in his room when they returned some hour ago, both of them not caring anymore and risking being caught in bed naked together. She opened her eyes to Logan's quick ministrations though, kissing him when he leaned forward and all before she even sat up in the bed. He returned it, busily readying himself for class afterward. She was going to so the same, except with the few students left and interested in the final week or so of music classes, having her students stay in Xavier's office for introductions and going over what the year gave them. It was not quite fair, but it was nonetheless a very necessary and important day for Danielle.

Logan started dressing for his history class as Danielle got up. She soon joined him, the two eying each other eagerly as they put clothes on. The night before had not been enough, although their new life seemed to stretch out before them. Hopefully, with the political situation so tight, they might have more nights as they had, spending it mutually, and escape together when the time came. Logan had no doubts that they'd be here for a while and supporting Xavier. However, the day when they'll sneak out was going to be tougher than they both imagined with so many people depending on them and the weight of the mutants' futures on them.

"See you at lunch?" Logan asked Danielle when she finished dressing, kissing her warmly again and feeling a warning from her tongue, promising more later.

"I hope so," Danielle replied cheerfully. "We'll see."

Logan nodded, kissing Danielle one more time. "I love you."

"And I, you." Danielle left Logan her smile, the last scene he was to see of her as he walked out the door and went to his classroom on the first floor.

When Logan entered though, the usual kids were not in sight. The papers, books and noise that came with it were not there either and an eerie silence prevailed. It unsettled Logan even as he sat down at his desk with his materials, waiting to see if anyone would arrive. After fifteen minutes, even when the bell rang to signal the start, he didn't even hear a pin drop, which was unusual. Sighing, Logan got up from his chair, suddenly doubled over in pain. He crumbled to the floor to his knees, putting a hand where a wound should have been, and found nothing. It was all too real though, the oozing and thrusting from a cold, sharp object. His head buzzed and he had to put it between his hands before it would cease to bother him. Finally, after a few minutes, Logan felt normal again, getting up and heading to the doorway when he heard the screaming from a multitude of children.

However, only once voice yelled for help in his head. _Logan! Help! Help us!_

Logan knew it was Danielle. Running, he tore out of the classroom, claws out as he felt the same pain stab him over and over again. He took seconds to reach the one of the sources of the trouble. Immediately, foreign men shot at him, telling each other to hurry up and get the mutant children to the trucks for deportation. While Logan healed rapidly from their volleys, he rushed the men he could, killing one after another as the others fled in fear, the students in chains and ushered out before Logan had a chance to get to them. Enraged, Logan turned to Xavier's office, where the children had come out of, and entered, shutting the door behind him. His focus soon turned to Ellis, who seemed startled at seeing Logan and only chuckled. However, before Logan knew it, he was immobilized. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Magneto, with Peter Ellis' gun at his head. The gesture was not lost on Logan. Magneto had been forced to move.

"Using mutants is too much fun," Ellis commented, winking at his cousin. "Don't you think so too, Peter?"

" _Too_ much," Peter replied. "I think you should let Wolverine see though."

 _See what?_ The thought made Logan's heart sink.

As Ellis continued to laugh, Logan had a good look around his surroundings, his eyes being the only things he could move. Peter Ellis may have had Magneto in his grasp, but several other men had Hank, Jay and Xavier in a corner, the same fate awaiting them if they moved too. In another corner, where Ellis stood in triumph, was Danielle. Ellis' one hand may have had a gun too, held near Logan's head, but his other was near the young mutant, a knife in his hands…and in Danielle's stomach. She was bleeding profusely to the floor, the sharp end twisted harshly. With a gulp, Logan realized that she had connected to him and tried to warn him ahead of time, only it was too late, _much_ too late.

"We're also going to be playing a game, Wolverine," Ellis began, his lips peeled back in a sneer. "We have all of you except for two people. Tell me, where are Phineas Teller and Henry Jones Mitchell?"

It took Logan a moment to remember who Ellis was talking about. "Disappeared and out of town, for all I know," he admitted, which was sort of the truth. He wasn't going to inform Ellis that Teller was off to see Roger and Chameleon was who the hell knew where. "I saw them last night. Well, I saw Teller. Nothing more. Chameleon wasn't around and if he was, he didn't show himself. I didn't think it worth my while anyway."

"Liar," Ellis hissed. He turned the knife again, which made Danielle gasp, her knees starting to buckle. "You know where they are."

"Naw, not this time." If Ellis was going to call Logan a liar, he might as well act the part. "If old Diamond Jack and Chameleon had any plans, they never told me."

"Logan –" Jay began as he lunged forward, darting from his spot with Xavier and Hank. Within seconds, before anyone could react, Ellis raised his gun and shot the twenty-eight year old.

"Jay!" Danielle screamed, tears of frustration coming down her face, feeling not only her pain, but her brother's as well. She watched in horror as her brother fell backwards to the floor, luckily into Hank's soft arms as a red spot formed on his chest. "Jay!"

"Shut up, bitch!" Ellis turned from one Mitchell sibling to the other in rapid head movements. It was almost like he was checking on them, to ensure that they would not die in his hands, although Logan was sure that, if Ellis allowed it, both of them would bleed to death.

"Dammit, Ellis, it's not them you want, it's me," Logan begged when Magneto allowed mouth movement, seeing that the situation was worse than even he thought. "Let them go. I'll go gladly in their place. Just let them be."

"No." Ellis seemed final about his decision. " _No_. Not this time. They're coming with me, Wolverine. They are a danger to society and need to be tamed. You, on the other hand, are condemned."

"On what charges?" Logan wasn't in the mood for Ellis' game anymore and allowed the challenge to be aired without fear of death. He couldn't, unless under extreme circumstances, die anyway.

"You, as well as Hank McCoy and Charles Xavier, are condemned criminals, under the new treason laws," Peter announced with glee. He had been waiting for this moment for a while, Logan figured, and was more than happy to be there. "My cousin has evidence that this school has not been an educational institution, as has been told on paper, but had been harboring domestic terrorists for years. They also have safe houses for them too, something we managed to get out of Ororo Munroe's mouth. Because of her confession, she has better lodgings and would not be here anymore."

"And wherever they are, we'll find them, even if she cannot give them to us" Ellis added after his cousin. "With your cooperation, I was hoping to find them and more. However, if you can't even tell me where two runaways of the law are, then I might as well not bother to ask about Roger Mortimer and his family, my lovely sister Mae and her bastard son, Gil. Or, I could inquire about Alex and Scott Summers and Jean Grey too? Oh, no, I shouldn't call her Jean Grey anymore, am I correct? She's a Summers woman now, full of charm and charism. And soon to be sprouting little mutant bastard children."

Logan moved forward, his rage returning as Magneto slowly allowing him some mobility, and was soon stopped by Ellis and his gun. Logan wasn't intimidated by it, figuring that it was a normal weapon, but the way Ellis waved it meant that it could threated him too. When he checked on Jay, seeing that Hank was trying to staunch the blood, Logan noted how heavy it was. Granted, his chest sported a pretty big hole. However, Jay shouldn't have been getting that large of a wound. It was worse than normal.

"You see what this is?" Ellis finally let go of Danielle, allowing her to fall to the floor, knife still in her.

"Yeah, a gun, bub," Logan replied, feeling petulant. "So what?"

"Once upon a time, there once was a sort of rogue military man named William Stryker," Ellis began, a name that soon sent shivers down Logan's spine and made his mind race. "He was mostly under the government's thumb, but he was soon bored with their inane assignments and asked to put together some sort of special team. Now, let me tell you that Stryker already escaped Trask's little experiments and scandals from Nixon and was on his way to becoming a leader of mutants, ones that he used to get an unique metal from Africa. After Vietnam was swept under the rug, Stryker picked up a few mutants here and there, thinking them to be perfect for the job. He ended up with your brother – Victor Creed – and even someone that turned your head for a little while before she died too. Her name was Kayla Silverfox.

"Now, Wolverine, the story can go on from there, but I too am bored with this and do not like telling old stories all the time. The point shall come soon. However, that might make you madder. You see, Stryker's little team before it disbanded because of the scientists, nicknamed Team X, picked up a little known metal named adamantium, something that was bonded to your body before Charles Xavier here managed to wipe away your orders to kill everyone here in this so-called school.

"This little gun? Well, it was a gift, to put it simply, from Stryker. It was a farewell present, I should say, before a religious life called to him and made him famous. He told me that there was a certain little monster he created and wanted destroyed. If you so much as not do as I say, this adamantium bullet will go into your head. I know you won't die. That wouldn't be the fun in it. No, it would make you forget everything, the equivalent of severe brain trauma and surviving it. Your mind will be fine. Your memories will be forever erased."

"Logan don't listen to him," Xavier started begging from his position. While he couldn't lean forward to assist Hank (something that pained him), he could do the best he could in not letting Ellis get into Logan's head. While reversing the orders to kill had been his agenda, the way Ellis put it was not how the story went down and Xavier knew it.

"I would suggest shutting up if I were you, Xavier," Ellis warned. "You are next if you don't shut up."

The hurt painted on Logan's face was obvious. When Peter motioned to Magneto to let Logan go completely, Logan turned to the Professor. "Is it true?" He had to know the truth, not the lies he thought came out of Ellis' mouth.

"You initially came to me when I was most vulnerable," Xavier confessed, hoping he had enough time to say his peace to Logan as this drama started to conclude. "After you had been captured the last time, we feared the worst. When you came back in the cover of darkness, we had to subdue you. In order to do that, we had to erase everything in your mind about the time you spent in Canada –"

"Enough." The order came stoutly from Ellis. With a motion of his head to Peter, he addressed the remaining people. "My intentions are to make this human race in America perfect once more and eliminate those who do not fit it. In order to do so, everyone I have deemed to be this threat have been taken away and those left behind on house arrest. Currently, my men and I will be taking in Jayden and Danielle Mitchell for further observation and to see if they would qualify for a cure to make them human. The children are going to a laboratory for the same. Wolverine, you as well as Charles Xavier and Hank McCoy, are under house arrest for the time being. Depending on what information you are giving us, you will be given more freedom or be tied down forever as prisoner. My men will watch you always, regardless of your movements. It is your choice."

"And what will happen to them?" Hank asked, his first words since Logan came into the office. "The Mitchells and the children?"

"Whatever I please will happen to those children," Ellis replied flippantly. "Jayden Mitchell will be treated perhaps and given all due respect as the brother-in-law of this country's leader after a cure has been evaluated."

Nobody had time to react. Ellis had told them of his intent to marry Danielle Mitchell, no matter the cost, and did not care to allow any more conversation, although the joy on his face in getting his choice in women was obvious. Exiting the room, his men followed in his wake, carrying both Mitchell siblings as blood trails mixed together on the floor and they stepped over dead bodies in the hallway, still humans left behind by Logan. The only people remaining behind of that group were Peter Ellis and Magneto. While Peter pushed the older mutant out, Magneto mouthed a farewell to Xavier and an apology ready on his lips, perhaps to be given when they met up in better times. Peter laughed, something funny on his mind, and stared at the shocked mutants, blood all over them and their surroundings, with something akin to happiness. He pointed to the windows with his gun, stepping out quickly to leave as he did.

"I would watch out for the glass if I were you," Peter only commented, walking out.

Logan soon realized what Peter was talking about, rushing to cover Hank and Xavier who were the closest to the windows. " _No_!" he screamed, feeling the earthquake prematurely as a blast exploded in a fiery ball and the glass shattered.


	68. Counting the Stars

**September 1, 1997**

The remaining days left of the last summer of their true freedom was quiet and empty. Hank, Xavier and Logan only had each other and it seemed enough, although the lives of those who left their care had been a priority, even if they were not there anymore. They hardly talked of them anymore, hoping that their fate as better was theirs, and spoke in hushed tones when they met, mostly about the weather, their days and maybe a word from those who cared to write. It was rare and their days seem like a monotony, but it was all they could do after Ellis had deemed them criminals of the state.

After the explosion on the property near Xavier's office, there had been a lot of cleanup to do, which was good in many ways. With Hank's help, Logan managed to fix the outer walls that had been destroyed and, with the so-called help of those who monitored their movements, replaced the windows. Thankfully, they had not been hurt, although Hank wore the bloodstained clothes, covered with Jay Mitchell's lifeline, for days. Xavier left the bloodspot where Danielle had been stabbed on the office floor until Logan could not take it anymore and cleaned it up. The black marks remained in the hardwood though, souvenirs of that day when they realized that they had gambled for so much and lost it all in one swift movement, something that burned Logan with an intensity that he wanted to die.

In the beginning of September, when Logan and Hank finished the construction, the former finally had time to think back to that early June day. In his bedroom, still unmade and smelling like Danielle and their second and final night together as a couple, he would lay there for hours, not bothering to join the other two at mealtime anymore, and ponder on what he could have done. He should have seen Ellis coming and should have known that, ever since hearing of his unfounded love for Danielle, that he would be there to claim her. To hurt the Mitchell siblings and leave them at death's door was another thing, a control mechanism that only Ellis could muster with unknown reasons. Another was taking a young woman and staking a marriage chain to her ankle.

Logan did not pay attention too much to the outside world and did not care to. He heard news of course, much of it good on their end and bad in other ways. Roger's little gimmick in getting the public riled up worked. While food and supplies had been denied in Salem Center and made everyone very angry (since the rumors pointed at Ellis as the source), the discontent spread everywhere else. News traveled fast around New York and soon, to all of New England too. From New England, it traveled down to the south. As of that early crisp September day, Logan knew that riots had been common on the east coast and were moving westward. It was only a matter of time before the whole country was up in arms once more and all in the name of equality.

Teller, in the meantime, had escaped. The last night they were at the bar, he closed everything down, laid off his employees and fled with only the clothes on his back nd a PO Box in the City attached to his name. Ororo was still in Ellis' hands, last known to be sheltered in the home of Peter and Mary Ellis, close relations already and in line for the power in case Leon Ellis did nothing to secure it. Chameleon was nowhere in sight, last seen by Logan some two weeks before the school was stormed and with no clue as to where his destination was. Roger, Mae and Gil were still safe upstate and nothing had trickled down from them, not even a letter. Alex, Scott, Jean and Lorna and her family were still in hiding too, although nobody was certain where it was, even though their letters came sometimes. Logan was sure it was everywhere, knowing Alex's paranoia and the postmarks, and would be like this for some time to come.

The children had been sent to labs and maybe to the new camps Ellis was preaching about. Mutants everywhere were registered and being tagged to some place or another for evaluation, arrest, incarceration or death. And there Logan was after two days without work, full of self-pity as he remained alone in his bedroom, lamenting Danielle's loss. He did not know if she (or even Jay) were dead or alive. It did not take long to find out though. As Labor Day approached and being a week away, he heard news from the guards on the grounds that Ellis was finally getting married at Saint Catherine's Church and to a local girl too, a young eighteen-year-old with red hair and hazel eyes. Her brother and mother were said to be attending and nothing more.

Logan had to be there, if only to ignore his nagging conscience for a while and to perhaps avoid Xavier too. While he was sure that seeing a wedding and being in visible support of the most powerful person right now wasn't a good idea (especially since it was possibly known that he loved the bride first), it might be brood well for him, being a dangerous mutant and all. However, with the little freedom offered to them, even with the guards trailing after him daily and constantly, it did not take long for Logan to figure out how to manipulate it so that he could leave. While there wasn't really orders for him to stay put (house arrest instructions not really defined by Ellis and all), he managed to walk out of the property without anyone saying a word and having three men follow slowly behind him, all of them muttering about what they should do. It was too much for them though. Logan set a grueling pace the church, hoping that he would arrive in time for the pre-holiday mass, and soon had his followers behind him in a truck that picked him up. No words had been said and Logan did not offer to explain himself. He pointed to the church, which was a fifteen minute walk away at that point, and they drove on.

 _Guess witnessing their boss' marriage is a plus_. Logan had no doubts about that.

The group parked in the church lot just in time for the ceremony to begin. While the bride and groom were already inside at their places, the people were kneeling in prayer and the building was hushed in the twilight, the four entered quietly enough and settled in the back rows, copying everyone ahead of them in their pew. Logan did not mind doing it for Danielle's sake, his heavy knees again crushing the velvet cushion as his hands folded in some sort of supplication to a god that never listened to him anyway. His companions did the same, out loud praising whoever was in style (God, America, mothers and apple pie, all in that order), and went through the same motions. Logan did not take his eyes off of the wooden seat, his head bowed not just in awe and respect, but also because he did not want to be seen. He hoped Danielle sensed him, although that was a shot in hell. She would not want to be at risk and known to be using her powers.

 _And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him._

Logan peeked a glance when Communion was given to both Danielle and Ellis towards the end. The two accepted it graciously, first Ellis as the husband and then Danielle as the wife. Danielle's hands were shaking when she took the wafer and then the cup of wine. Logan's eagle eyes watched as she almost tipped it over, a drop hitting the carpeted steps they kneeled before. Ellis immediately shot her a gaze that told Logan that he was not pleased, but accepted that she managed to get through without another incident. Then, after everyone shared in the same sacrament (Shannon and Jay, Logan spotting for the first time, declining), the priest intoned another blessing and they recited their vows.

This Logan listened to very carefully. As the guards leaned forward too, he heard Ellis declaring that he would love and cherish Danielle Regina Mitchell for the remaining days left to him. Then, when it was Danielle's turn, Logan saw her lips move, but the words hardly came out. When she spoke a little louder towards the end, he saw her quivering mouth, kissable for him just a few months ago, and that she too would do the same for her husband, Leon Richard Ellis, until she was dead. Logan did not need to see why she had been forced into this other than Ellis lusting after her for so many years. Peter Ellis, who stood with his wife as witnesses by each side of the couple (something Logan was sure was bothering Danielle), was holding a gun under his suit. A silver shine reflected in Logan's eyes. It was enough for him to deduce that she had been threatened or that her family and friends had been.

Dazed, the older mutant hardly heard the rest of the ceremony and only awoke when it was all over. By then, the organ music above his head in the balcony blasted out a final sad tune and the members of the wedding party marched behind the newly-married pair. Ellis, who was in his fifties easily and old enough to be Danielle's father, pulled his new, young wife down the aisle gladly, taking in the praise as the white-faced woman nodded here and there, unwilling to say a word to an adoring crowd that actually wished her well. While pretty and popular in town, Danielle was easily everyone's darling, even though she was a mutant. It could be hidden, Logan figured, but not for long. Ellis would turn against her and it would be a bitter day when it happened.

Danielle did see Logan though. It was very quick and her face betrayed shock for a second before her attention turned to another and went into a smile. However, as her back faced Logan, maybe for the last time until they meet again, she threw something akin to an invisible anchor at him, almost pulling him along. Logan stilled himself, willing this line to be broken before they were found out, and waited until Danielle was out the door before her voice filled his head.

 _I love you, Logan. Don't let me go._

It was a plea and one that begged for help, even as the connection broke. Although nothing could have been done about it, not even as Shannon and Jay tagged along as the last people in the long line of partiers and well-wishers, Logan could not help but listen to the tone behind it. Danielle was more than able to save herself. This time though, there might not be a chance to. As far as Logan knew, Ellis lived in a mansion-like palace in Washington, DC. It was highly guarded, surrounded by a moat, entered after endless hours of checking credentials and videotaped. Everyone's movements were recorded and nobody was spared. Privacy was a rare thing and one that Logan was seeing would never be achieved through Ellis' administration.

The assassin and humanitarian inside the woman who grew too fast in her early years had ceased. Danielle was now a dictator's wife – for now, Ellis was called that – and she was expected to be on show everyday of her life from this moment onward. She was expected to give him children, entertain those who visited and support Ellis in every way. She was a silent creature, mousy as she tended babies, organized parties and even danced until she was no longer able to take it anymore. Even then, she was to smile through it all, not displaying her feelings to a world that was unrelenting in its cruelty. She was the center of controversy in a country that was now consumed in destroying anything that was not human and would detonate itself.

When his keepers motioned that it was time to go, since the church was closing up and it was getting too dark, Logan took one last look around. Everything had stayed the same. Additional candles had been lit to keep the faithful welcome. Incense had lingered in each corner. Some churchgoers trickled in, wanting to hear what happened to the old man and the young woman who married and seemed perfectly matched. When the gossip started, that was when Logan decided that it was time to depart. He obeyed his captors, getting back into the truck and going back to the mansion. All the way back though, all he could do was think and that alone had been a treacherous thing for a man who had lived for so long and did not normally ponder.

For Logan, life did not have much of a purpose. Ok, so he was patchy in some of his memories and that was something that he could fix in the meantime. All and all though, he did not find much in life and was often bored, aimlessly wandering until something picked his life up. Ever since he spent time with Xavier, he seemed to have found some sort of drive, not willing to swallow the self-pity. Granted, it was on and off that he was around, but the years he was there had been worth it, especially in the past year he realized that he had been in love with a very young redheaded mutant who teased him for most of her childhood. On the other hand, Xavier, Hank and Alex had given him a reason to keep going and that had not just been the people who had left, been sent to prison or sacrificed their freedom. That reason alone was love.

However, love was also a fickle thing, mostly rancorous and bitchy. Right now, as he rolled back into the comfortable lights of the mansion, Logan realized that he and Danielle now were at an impasse in their relationship, a stalemate that was broken by Ellis himself, if it really started at all. She was now the unwilling bride and he was the habitual loner, a fate that would entwine them forever until they both decided to break the cycle and find each other again. She would be the Ghost that wanders invisible and he the Wolverine that would pine for her from afar.

Oddly enough, Danielle's poem from when she was a kid filtered through Logan's racing mind. The words seemed more potent than ever before too, even as she now was being sent off to her honeymoon with Ellis.

 _She's talking to angels, counting the stars,_  
 _Making a wish on a passing car._  
 _She's dancing with strangers, falling apart,_  
 _Waiting for Superman to pick her up._  
 _In his arms, yeah, in his arms, yeah,_  
 _Waiting for Superman…_

* * *

 **The biblical verse was from the Book of Colossians 3:14-19. The lyrics are again from Daughtry's "Waiting for Superman". The story is also winding down, so there's going to be 2 more chapters. :D**


	69. Between the Loner and the Bride

Logan did not sleep that night. Restless and not wanting to leave the grounds again, he took to walking the inside of the mansion, although he kept away from the lower levels that would incriminate them. First, from his second floor bedroom, he went to the third floor, where Xavier normally had his quarters, his study and other private rooms. Hank was also on the same floor, although Logan hardly saw the Fuzzball in his own room anyway. This time though, he risked a peek inside, seeing the blue body move up and down in a regular breathing pattern. Satisfied, Logan worked his way downstairs again, to the second floor again. The student and teacher population was usually housed here, he recalled, as years of passing them were imagined. Logan even saw the ghosts of those who had left, from Jean, Ororo and Scott too. Then, he saw Alex and Lorna together, Magneto maybe once and Jay and Fiona.

It had been too much here. Logan shook his head, the scenes disappearing into the moonlight that filtered through the old window panes. Ignoring the rest of the dark corners, he made his own way downstairs to the classrooms, main hallway and other trivial rooms, like the kitchen and living room. He then decided to settle down in the living room, finding a couch that was not occupied by one person or another sent by Ellis. Curling up near an armrest at a corner piece, Logan allowed himself to relax a little bit, but wasn't long before the memories came back to him again. He usually chased them away with a cigar and beer outside. Now, that was not allowed to him. He would have to face everything alone.

A whisper of wheels came into the room soon enough. Logan knew that it was Xavier. He had yet to talk to the Professor one-on-one ever since that day Ellis stormed the premises. He had deliberately ignored him, wanting not to remember what Ellis had told him about Stryker, being on his team and being sent to kill people at the school. It was impossible to imagine, Logan concluded, and it was best not to bring it up. The past was the past. Whatever happened there did not matter now. At this point, what was important was getting Ellis toppled and getting what was normal back. _That_ was going to be the tough part now that they were caught.

Xavier allowed Logan some space, choosing to park in front of the couch before speaking. "I did not see you today," he observed. He knew that Logan was hiding on purpose and did not want to bring attention to that yet.

"Yeah," Logan replied evasively. "What about it?"

"Did you manage to find some rooms to clean and air out?" Xavier asked. It was something Hank had been doing and he tried to play stupid in making Logan think he had no clue.

"No. I was out and about."

"Oh? I did not think the grounds were ours to explore anymore."

"Last I heard, they were. And I did not stay here."

"You went into town?"

Xavier sounded surprised and incredulous. Logan had no reason to lie. The face he made was priceless though, a masterpiece of control over his own emotions that cried to be released. Xavier did not want to pry into Logan's personal life and find out why, but the way he was hearing things, especially when Ororo told him just before she was captured that Danielle and Logan were a couple, made him believe that there was a change that happened and it was positive and hopeful for them both. On the other hand, if what was told to him was also true, then Logan's dreams had been harshly dashed and that Danielle made herself surrender to a man who was willing to make her a slave of abuse.

"I did," Logan finally admitted. "Nobody said anything about not doing it."

"It's dangerous out there." That was too obvious, even to Xavier, and it made him embarrassed a little afterward.

"I do not care," Logan declared. "I heard the news about a wedding."

"So, it is true." Xavier did not seem shocked.

"Yes," Logan allowed, shoving his anger aside when he said the truth out loud. "Leon Ellis married Danielle Mitchell."

"The rumors did not lie then. He had been eying Danielle for years and took advantage of his political climb to power."

"Why he would take a mutant wife does not make sense."

"Neither does wounding Jay Mitchell too."

"Or keeping Storm with his cousin."

"Powerful mutants, Logan, all of them, and all of them now prisoners of Leon Ellis. However, one that confuses me more is Shannon Mitchell."

"What about her?" Logan recalled seeing her at the wedding and did not know if she saw him. He felt that he broke a promise to her, although the way Xavier was talking did not make it seem like it mattered.

"Ellis is using her as leverage," Xavier explained. "It is said that Chameleon is still in love with her and, in hoping that he would come out of hiding, has been publically declaring her to be an enemy and bound for execution. In the meantime, Shannon has been abused by her own caretakers and sedated most days, in the hopes that she would not commit suicide."

"That would give her what she wants though," Logan pointed out. "She'll find a way out."

"And would prove that mutant elimination is a good price to pay," Xavier countered. "Ellis could trap Chameleon and use Shannon as an excuse. It would be an exercise in public opinion. She would be used as an example. Thinking to tame her daughter would be another."

Logan's heart sunk again. "And Jay?"

"He is linked to Danielle," Xavier reminded him. "Ellis might be using Jay for the same reasons. It might be good will on Danielle's part to keep her brother safe and vice versa. However, I would not think that Ellis would unite Jay with his wife in either case."

"You think Fiona is alive?"

"I have no reason to believe that Phineas Teller was lying. Ellis has no reason to kill Fiona Mitchell. He does have one to keep her alive and a hostage though."

"That much we deduced, Professor. Now, it's a matter of locations, people and time."

"And that's what we need, Logan. At this time, we need patience most of all. We tried it slow, failed and now need to wait for the moment in which we would be able to rise again. Roger going away was perhaps the best move we could have made. On the outside, he was about to make sure the tide turned. I never liked the ways he worked, Logan, but when he did, it was effective and it always had results."

"Just not the ones you want."

"Well, I would not say that."

Logan left it there, recalling that Roger told him that Xavier picked him up for his skills after he had been declared a delinquent, and all before Roger turned eighteen too. However, he did have to agree with Xavier that Roger being away was the best thing that could have happened to them. Granted, Alex could have done some outside work with Lorna, Jean and Scott and maybe Peter and Wanda. However, they weren't as organized nor as notorious as the infamous Roger Mortimer, who had the links, people and power to do more. Logan did not think that Ellis would find his sister and brother-in-law this time. They were too far away.

Xavier then inclined forward a little, eager to get to Logan's core problems by starting small. "What matters now is reuniting the X-Men."

"In better times, like you said," Logan said. "We have most of them in hiding."

"We can remedy that once we have the others back," Xavier responded gently. "Roger has everyone angry. We are now underground. It's the best time to regroup in any way we can."

"If you want to call it that." Logan motioned to their surroundings. "Professor, you're in your own home and under house arrest. You can't change your mind at every opportunity and when the situations vary."

"When Ellis is around and everyone's safety is in jeopardy, we need to blow with the wind," Xavier corrected. "It's now us and Hank. Our lives are nothing compared to the others. Few compared to the whole are trivial. In charge, we had many underneath us who were willing to die when we didn't want them to. Today, it's three older men who would rather see a better tomorrow. Now, are you with us?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not much of one, I'd say."

Logan laughed. "Of course."

"And there is Danielle Mitchell."

"What about her?"

"You love her dearly, Logan. I am sure you would do anything to retrieve her."

Logan had seen Danielle wed Leon Ellis and had the feeling to rescue her from her soon-to-be gilded cage. She could not save herself from that nightmare and was always waiting for someone to see that. She could defend herself surely, but that was not the point. Now, she was in a position where she could not fight her way without meeting a certain death. A mob would make her want to commit suicide. No, it was a team effort that would bring Danielle back to Logan and it all had to be when Leon Ellis was dead.

"I do," Logan finally confessed. "I do love Danielle. I would do anything to bring her back here safely."

Xavier nodded in understanding. "Then, we are decided?"

"Yes," Logan confirmed, feeling stronger than ever in his convictions. "We have decided. I will work as a team member to bring back the X-Men. The world needs us, Professor. Without us, there would be nothing worth fighting for. Each one of us is needed on this team, no matter the skills, age and experience."

"What do you mean, Logan?" Xavier comprehended the statements, but did not see where Logan was going with it.

"I mean that your offer from twenty years ago still stands and I accept," Logan declared. "You told me that, when I was ready to be part of a group, that you would be there to take me in. Today has made me believe that it's where I need to be and where I stand. I will be a part of the X-Men and, no matter the cost to me, I will bring them all back. Nothing can stop me, Professor, not even with the whole world against us."

Amazed, Xavier could only nod again. "I think the whole world would not be against us for the rest of its days," he said gently. "I believe that, once we find the support, it'll be there…and we'll welcome them with open arms."

~00~

It was closer to dawn, three days after the wedding. Danielle sat silently in her seat on the airplane heading south to Washington, DC, unwilling to believe that the last few months had happened. It all seemed like a dream, she knew, from the day she took in those students to being married to a monster when she had no choice. She could not remember the last three months, if she had to be honest with herself, and viewed it all like an outsider would. For that was what she now was. Danielle Ellis, nee Mitchell, was now the outcast in a new world that would never love her anyway.

It was a new world order, Leon told her, and one that would forbid her from using her powers. Oh, hell, Danielle could not name her husband by the disgusted last name anymore for it was hers too. Today marked a new turning point and one that would soften her husband's image more. His goal had been to marry and start a family, something that would make people forget his actions, and to be a man of word who was not the person people thought him to be. Already, people of her kind had been experimented on, hunted down and even killed just as she was dressed in riches to please Leon. Why she, all of people, would attract Leon Ellis surprised her. He seemed kind enough for a man she hated and even ensured Jay's survival and her mother's place at her home, even if it meant twenty-four/seven care. Both would be left behind. Her mother would stay at the farmhouse with an around-the-clock nursing staff and Jay went who knew where. Leon would never tell her, saying that it was none of her business.

Indeed, Danielle was lucky to be alive in this administration. She only had to touch her scar on her stomach to see that. However, she was afraid of her new life and the privileges that came with it. There had been the gifts from Leon and even the people who now served her and were under her personal command, the houses that she owned and the power she welded as an Ellis wife. It had been too much, all in this beautiful golden cage, and it overwhelmed her. It was to distract her from her old life, Danielle knew, and it would make her forget about Logan too, a person she missed so dearly that it hurt her heart to think of him left behind too.

After all, Leon was amorous to make her push Logan to one side, she had to admit, and provided well for them both as they reached their honeymoon suite at the hotel in New York City two days ago. He was gentle with her and pretended that she was a virgin, cutting her leg to allow blood to drip on the sheets and prove the facts wrong. It would pass muster for now, he reassured her when he applied a bandage there, and even slid a thick silk bathrobe on her before allowing the public to come see them in their hotel room, dressed as they were. All throughout it, before nd even after she saw the flashes of cameras and heard the reporters' questions that she could not answer, Danielle just pretended that it was Logan who was with her, seeing Leon's heavy weight as Logan's adamantium skeleton and the grey hair to the dark locks. It made it bearable and maybe will hold up for some years too, even as nosy journalists gazed at her softness in wonder.

Danielle allowed a tear to come down her face, mourning Logan and their loss. "We knew you were one of the brightest stars," she sang quietly in her seat, hoping that she did not wake her the company near her. For that was her family now, these people who hated mutants, her husband most of all.

It was the beginning, Danielle deduced. The beginning of her so-called influence, confusing and a whirlwind as it was. She hoped it would be enough to bring about the end of Leon Ellis someday in the future. She would stop it nothing if she had the chance, even if it meant standing aside and allowing him to die. For now though, she would pretend to enjoy the shiny things she received as a wife to a world leader, drink to every toast and lay down in bed with Leon Ellis, procreating and being the person he wanted her to be.

Being perfect was going to be too much. However, Danielle was willing to be try it…or die in the effort.


	70. A Storm is Brewing

**May 24, 2023**

Danielle decided that it was time to stop, late as it was. Leaving Logan in 1997 seemed right, even though thirty years still had to be shown and told before he could be caught up. He did not seem satisfied with the ending though, laying on their bed as he did and his mouth twisting in a grim smile. Something did not sit well for Logan, Danielle saw, and it wasn't just because of what he saw. His other life held sinister things too and that it linked to what they went through in the nineties. She hoped that whatever he experienced wasn't a lifetime full of pain and suffering as they had now and that it wasn't as gruesome as the one she was reminding him of.

It was close to midnight, Danielle noticed, and the dark shadows played in the corners of their room. Although the lamp had been on, she still felt an evil presence in the room. Logan did too, his claws immediately out and sniffing for the source. He found nothing though, settling down on their bed again with a scowl, although the adamantium still stone in the hazy light. Danielle reached over and rubbed his knuckles, something that retracted them, and it was then that Logan looked over and saw the scars on Danielle's arm. A long time ago, when he first met her in another lifetime, they took to sleeping together without the sex and a nightmare had turned into him slashing her arm. He had not seen it before today.

"Where did that come from?" Logan's tone was gruff and rude, something that startled Danielle.

"What? This?" Danielle moved her arm back, done with her ministrations for now, and saw the scars on her arm. She traced them with one finger, her mind racing to figure out how it happened. "I don't know. I have never seen them before."

"They fit your tattoo perfectly," Logan pointed out.

"They do," Danielle conceded, still studying the three lines that ran along with the tattoo's twisted web. "Did it…you know, did this happen in your other life?"

Logan nodded. "An accident."

"I wonder if your memories are getting into my mind and making it physical."

"I don't know. How could we tell?"

"Well, tell me something that happened about me in your other life."

"Jay was dead before I met you, for one thing."

"What?" Danielle was shocked. She might have heard it in passing when Logan woke up the week before, but she dismissed it, thinking it inconsequential. Now, faced with it, it was a horrible concept.

"Your husband killed him," Logan corrected. "Jay then decided that it was time to go."

"How did our powers work after that?"

"A cross between half of you dying and half of his powers being transferred to you. Complex and something the Professor tried explaining. All I knew then was that you were a powerful bitch and one I didn't want to mess with."

"How did Jay did?" Danielle had to know.

Logan hesitated. This story did not seem his to tell, but since Danielle was so anxious to know, he had to answer. "You and Jay had been ambushed in your own home," he explained. "Ellis had decided that he wanted you as a hostage in exchange for controlling the school. He loved you, I think, and felt that Jay was the worse threat if left alive. It was easier to kill him. He shot Jay in the head several times."

This satisfied Danielle's curiosity for now. However, Logan knew that more details would asked to be revealed and he wasn't willing to say them. He had been honest. Danielle just did not need to hear that Jay laughed for several minutes after the initial shooting and had Ellis in a rage, firing his weapon into the older Mitchell sibling over and over again and kicking his body when it was down. She also did not need to know that there was always a spot on the kitchen floor by the stove, a large black mark where Jay's blood had pooled. The hardwood floor did not clean well and that had haunted Danielle, even after they left the farmhouse behind and had been on their crusade to ensure the safety of a dying world. They never saw the farmhouse again after leaving it for the final time.

Danielle sighed, collecting her thoughts. "How…interesting. I wonder if the Professor knows this now."

"Talk to him later," Logan suggested, checking the clock that Danielle had powered through some batteries and seeing the time. "It's after midnight. Why don't we call it a night? You look so tired."

"I am." Danielle did not want to admit that this last round had almost made her black out. She was sure that Logan sensed this though, hence his prodding to go to bed. It was almost a nonstop session and with breaks that made it seem normal for them to be locked away as they were.

"Get something to drink from the kitchen and come on back," Logan said. "I'll stay here."

"Need to digest the information?"

"That too. I also don't feel like gettin' up to get a beer. Still have some in the back cabinet on top?"

Danielle laughed. "Ok, ok, I get it. I'll go to the kitchen and get you the beer. I might be late getting it. Do you mind?"

Logan shook his head in a negative manner. He thought that maybe Danielle needed a few minutes to herself anyway. There was so much information that she gave to him, perhaps in an effort to get to a point to stop and pick up the story at another time. It was a good foundation though, Logan concluded, and Danielle did a good job showing him everything and telling a good narrative that almost mirrored the one he came from. It drained her plenty and added a few more people on the secret, but that did not matter. Nobody was saying anything about him being from another lifetime and that was the best part.

Danielle soon left, going downstairs to the kitchen. She stopped at the stairwell on the way down though, pausing by a window. She looked out, watching the rain platter against the cool glass. Exhausted, she pressed her forehead there, allowing the darkness to envelop her. That presence followed her again and was around the corner, lurking and waiting for her. It was death, she knew, a shadowy character that always was next to her and an arm's length away. It was death that stalked her, that evil thing, and she kept far from her mind. Now, with so much going on and conflicting stories merging in her mind, this, more than anything else, pushed her over the edge.

Jay could not sleep as well, having the same idea as his sister apparently. As he went downstairs, he saw Danielle and soon stood next to her, his arm around her in seconds. He was feeling the same way Danielle was, but had a better idea of what was going on than she did. With their shared powers used all at once and so much, they had been inching closer back to death's arms and perhaps into that thread of life Logan had come from. Death was something that followed the family for generations and, with control, stayed away unless the ultimate extremity called it back. For about a week now, with Jay so tired from Danielle pulling from him and vice versa (and all in the name of a mutant he did not like particularly), that black man lingered harshly.

"Get into a fight with Logan?" Jay asked Danielle, although he knew it wasn't the case.

"Huh? No." Danielle shook her head. "Sorry, Jay. Just daydreaming."

"You should be dreaming…in bed."

"You too, old man. It's past our bedtimes."

"That's something we've been experiencing since this…thing…began. This has never happened to us this badly before. We've been in tight spots before and gotten out without feeling like this. What is going on, you think?"

"Well, it's like a consciousness changed and here's a Logan we never seen before, existing. Maybe there's a time rift and it kinda set us off?"

"Could be, but I didn't feel anything that morning. Did you?"

"Something was off, Jay, but that wasn't unusual. Maybe Logan brought some things with him? Maybe ourselves from another dimension had merged into the one we have now?"

"Interesting theory," Jay observed (the same he was thinking), seeing Danielle's scarred arm when a lightning bolt flashed. "Like that…where did it come from?"

"I don't know. Nothing really." Danielle hid her arm at her side. "Logan said it was an accident from the place he came from. I'm just glad it runs along with the black widow spider."

Jay laughed softly. "Appearances seem to be important to you, little sister."

"They do not."

"They would. Otherwise, the whole school would have known what happened to a certain history teacher who ran around in his pajamas the week before, dazed and confused to be at the school."

"That's different. It's not an appearance."

"No, it's an illusion that all is well. It's not. He can hardly face his own daughter, Danielle, and Celeste has been wandering why you've been locked up with Logan for a week now."

"Can't she understand that we want privacy? We've had periods when we locked ourselves away when it was practical."

"Like now? Doubtful. However, you do have a point. I'll just count this as a phase and let everyone know about it. It won't surprise people. I mean, you and Logan have had some weird things happening to you over the years. Are you going to tell him everything, Danielle? All those cancer scares before you changed, the kids you had with Ellis in the insane asylum, Devon's so-called natural disaster that almost made news, Daken and his aggressive behavior, Celeste's energy flare-ups…?"

"We're not talking about that now." Danielle wasn't even that far ahead yet. "Besides, little things we can be told later. I left Logan off with the events of 1997. I believe that's enough for now. I just want a break, Jay. I feel so…I don't know. Tired. Like I've had enough of this life and need some sleep for a long, long time."

"I feel the same way still," Jay admitted, recalling that Danielle mentioned this before and thinking that she forgot already. Perhaps she had, the way her eyes appeared to bewildered. "Perks of being old, ya think?"

"Not this time." Danielle seemed serious. "I think it's another disturbance, Jay. We just need to find a way to fix it."

"But how, Danielle? And when we can't pinpoint where it came from?"

"It's been since Logan woke up on that morning. I think his entire soul had been replaced by this one that came from a worse future. I can feel it, Jay. It's gotta be the truth."

Jay now shook his head. He unwrapped his arm from Danielle's side and looked out the window. The next storm was not as bad as the last few, he deduced. However, it was not bringing power back to the town. Indeed, from what Jay heard from Hank and Alex, there wasn't going to be power until the middle of next week. It meant less time in classes (despite being ahead of schedule), the seniors missing out on their graduation practice and the kids at each other's throats. It also meant facing the blackness alone. He and Danielle had been two of a kind, one entity that shared powers since she was maybe three years old, and had faced more than their fair share of ups and downs with their powers. Danielle may be underestimating the impact of this exercise. She may not understand that it might kill them and that her idea about a rift in time seemed more legitimate the more Jay pondered the thought. The more she used their powers to bring Logan back in time through a memory hop, the more they slid downward in a spiral. Her life was already entwined with the one she had in that other world. What more could happen?

"I need to sneak a beer out of the top back cabinet," Danielle finally said, breaking Jay's concentration. "Do you need anything? I can get it for you."

"I'll catch up and grab my things," Jay promised. "I want a few minutes to myself. Fiona is probably in her office and sleeping right about now. I want to get back in bed before she does."

"More applications?" Danielle was confused.

"From what I've heard," Jay replied. "The mutant population has spiked and more and more people turn to us for the education and the control in their powers, although we are still taking in the occasional runaway and hiding them behind a wall of paperwork. Fiona had been reviewing everything day and night. Makes my bed feel pretty cold."

Danielle punched Jay in the shoulder lightly. "Boo hoo to you. Not my problem that your wife is busy as hell. At least I still have someone I go to bed with regularly. However, he'll be searching for me soon. See you in a few."

As Danielle walked away, Jay continued his glance through the glass. By then, water had started to flood it, making several rivers down the panes. It was enough that Jay soon could not see out them anymore and only was staring at his own red eyes in a reflection. He reined in the power, soon seeing his own worn hazel eyes. Then, he had to again control himself when his powers flared once more. Danielle felt it across the hallway and had a handle on things before Xavier or even Jean woke up to it. Jay thanked her in his mind, still calculating how much time he and Danielle had left. It was enough that Jean had an idea, but even she could not understand the impact and how sick they both were becoming. It wasn't going to be a soft landing this time. It was hard and will result in what would be considered a rebirth of something.

A storm was brewing, bigger than Jay even imagined. That much he was certain of now.

* * *

 **Good God!**

 **I think that's the best thing I could say right now. I have to admit that this was the hardest story I've ever written out of this series and am glad this awkward phase is done. Of course, this is the end, although a direct sequel will be posted shortly, as soon as I organize my thoughts here. I mean, I've been writing them at work and sending them home via email, so it's been pretty difficult, caught up in the things I've been in since the ending of the last story.**

 **Many thanks are always in order. As always, to my wonderful boyfriend (fiance now), who has been with me from the beginning and has given me many suggestions and pointers, although he doesn't always know what for and why (also known as my greatest inspiration and love). Next, I would like to thank 3terna1Y0ut4 (formally known as hotbibl) many times over for her support when she could. :) Lately, I would like to thank ALL OF YOU who have read this story. I know traffic was high and I know most of you have favored and followed. I hope this story did not disappoint and that the next would be just as great.**

 **Now, onward to the next story...when I have it written out. It'll be around sometime this crazy holiday week. Enjoy!**


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